


One Step Behind

by SagiDraconis



Category: One Piece
Genre: Changing Perspective, Comedy, F/M, Gender Confusion, Giving up on dreams, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, It's kinda obvious, Mild themes of suicide, Sanji come on, damn this sounds depressing, it's funny I promise, third person, will add more as story progresses - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 48,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24145318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SagiDraconis/pseuds/SagiDraconis
Summary: [One Piece] [Vinsmoke Sanji/Original Female Character]When she took the position of being a server for the Baratie, Strauss only wanted work to distract herself with. What she ended up with was far more than she could have ever imagined. Kindness. Encouragement. And most importantly, someone who finally let her dream again. If only she'd realised that sooner...(Rated mature for themes of suicide)
Relationships: Vinsmoke Sanji/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 108





	1. First Impressions

"They're gone?!"

Smoker glanced up, "Yeah. Those damn Straw Hats left about a day ago." His teeth ground on his cigar. Those damn higher ups...telling him that he couldn't go until a replacement came...

"A day…" The girl in front of him sagged, sinking to her knees, "I missed them by a day…" Her fist slammed into the cobblestones, "DAMMIT!"

"Why're you going after them anyways?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. She didn't look like a pirate. But then again, none of those kids did.

Her knuckles whitened, "I...I have a...friend on the crew."

"A friend?" This was more suspicious than he'd previously imagined. So she'd had contact with them had she? "Which one?"

"The chef. We...we worked together."

"How long?"

"Two years."

Not that long in the grand scheme of things. And yet here she was on the verge of tears just because she came here slightly late.

"So-" He knelt down to meet her eyes, "Why do you want to chase a bunch of rowdy pirates so badly that you're willing to ask a Marine for help?"

She bit her lip, "I just want to know if…"

"If…?"

"If I'm allowed to dream again."

* * *

* * *

Her leg tapped a fast rhythm against the floorboards. She'd been waiting now in this empty office for over 10 minutes now. But considering the work ethic of the Baratie, it was hardly surprising. Even before she set foot in the restaurant, she could feel the enthusiasm practically ooze out of every corner of the ship. Even a dingy office like this one was full of energy, with welts and dents bruising the woodwork. This was a busy place, even if the dining room appeared so serene.

As if to prove her point, the door slammed open despite the protesting hinges. "Sorry for keeping you waiting," Zeff growled, the infamously hard to please manager of this restaurant marching in at an impressive pace despite his wooden leg, "That damned eggplant was causing a ruckus again on the floor. Now-" He slumped onto the chair opposite her- "Patty said you wanted the waiter job, is that right?"

"That's right." 

He raised an eyebrow. She really should've been nervous to sit in front of an ex-pirate, but every word came out clean and sharp. She had guts for one so young. "Name? Age?"

"My name is Strauss. I'm 16."

So she was younger than she looked. The grey hair didn't help the prediction. He didn't ask for a family name. Out here, there was no need for trivial formalities like that.

He tilted his chair back, the too tall chefs hat scraping the ceiling, "So, why the hell are you applying to a job all the way out here? Your folks aren't worried."

"I need to work," Her green eyes bored into his, dead and dull.

Zeff grimaced. He should've known. Too many people had come out there to work away their problems far from the mainland. He'd stopped counting quickly. They never stayed long. This place was hardly therapeutic.

But...he grimaced, scratching his head under his long long hat, he was in need of staff fast. The latest pirate attack had scared off the last of the waiting staff, and none of his chefs were willing to sacrifice their pride by stepping out the kitchen.

This girl was polite and well mannered, which was a damned improvement. And elegant, which would finally be a good image to present to the public. Straight back. Head up. Hands discreetly in her lap, even if that leg was jumping all over the place.

He smirked. So she was nervous, was she? Or was it impatience? Her face said nothing.

"You do know that the job position was advertised for men, don't you?"

She nodded, "I do, but I've been in jobs like that before. I can assure you that I can handle it."

"That's...not what I meant," he grimaced, stroking his long moustache, "It's just...I normally make my points with violence-" His lip curled- "and I despise any harm towards women."

"Then I'll just make sure to never mess up."

Well...she seemed determined at least. Zeff hummed. It would be good if she continued on, but he wanted commitment. No quitting after just a week. It would be a pain in the ass if he had to send out another recruitment campaign. And he never really used violence against the servers anyways...

"Whoever's on the floor today will show you the ropes." He tossed her the menu, "Keep up."

Strauss caught it in her hand, bowing as she stood, "Yes sir. But if you don't mind," she gestured to her tatty and stained baggy jumper and black leggings, "I think a change of clothes may be in order. This is hardly professional."

"Yeah, you're probably right." He grunted to his feet. Damn he was getting old. "Patty, go get her some of Sanji's clothes. He's about her age, ain't he? Shirt, tie, and trousers should do the trick." He eyed the girl once more, "And a belt wouldn't be a bad idea." Pausing at the silence, he sighed, "I know you're listening behind the door, ya dumbass."

"Sorry boss!" The muscular man burst in, wringing his hands, "I just was just curious by how insistent this shitty bitch was to get the job. I wasn't trying to spy or nothing."

"Just get on and do it." He grimaced, massaging his temple as Patty crashed away. Dear lord he needed polite employees… At least this new girl (what was her name again? Spruce? Stress? He hoped it wasn't the latter; he'd had more than enough of that to last him a lifetime) didn't seem to be at all phased at the fowl language directed at her. He hid a smirk with his hand. She'd fit right in.

Patty was back in such a short period of time Zeff was sure Sanji's room now resembled a trash heap. What that damned eggplant had done to piss Patty off so much the ex-pirate would never know, but he was certainly paying for it tenfold.

"This is probably the closest we have to your size right now," he grunted as she smoothed out the fabric that had been crumpled in Patty's meaty fists. "Your shoes are decent at least, but this is the best we can do."

"Thank you." 

"Uh...Boss…"

He groaned, "Why're you not in the kitchen already?"

Patty winced, "It's just that...the shitty brat's on the floor today…"

"Perfect," he swung his pegleg onto the desk, "Send him up. Tell him there's a new recruit that needs training. Then get back to work!"

"Y-yes Boss!" The poor door creaked loudly as it slammed shut for the third time that meeting.

He groaned, head in his hand "Damned cook... How're the clothes?"

"They'll do. Trousers are a little long, but I'll roll them up a bit." She pulled off her jumper, her bandaged chest doing nothing to hide the muscles in her stomach and arms.

So her words weren't for show. Zeff inwardly chuckled. That eggplant was going to throw a fit once he noticed. However… He frowned. It looked like muscle was the only thing over those bones. As she tugged the shirt over her head, the dents formed by her ribs became pronounced enough to count. She was strong, but at what cost?

Not noticing the assessment, Strauss tugged on the collared shirt over her top. "This Sanji's slim," she noted as she did it up.

Zeff grunted. This would do for now. She was right about needing to roll up the legs; the brat's legs had always been freakishly long. Yes, he grinned as she tightened the tie, this would do very nicely indeed.

"Oi, shitty geezer!" The door handle turned, revealing a youngish teenager with straight blond hair flopped over one eye, "Why did I see Patty with some of my clothes? And what's this about a new trainee...?" He trailed off as he finally realised he wasn't alone, his visible eye widening under his spiralling eyebrow.

"Good. You came faster than I thought," Zeff grunted, swinging to his feet, "This is Strauss, the new waiter. Strauss, this is Sanji our Sous Chef. He'll be showing you the ropes."

Glancing up from where she studied the menu, she dipped her head, "Please take care of me."

"Right…" He grimaced, "So that's where my clothes went. You'd better take care of them, you hear? And be perfect. I don't want a crappy new trainee scaring the ladies."

Zeff froze.

Was Sanji...badmouthing a lady?

Strauss nodded, completely oblivious, "I see. I hope to be a quick study."

Had the pork in the kitchen sprouted wings?

This girl didn't seem that masculine. Although… her chest was definitely a lot flatter than that of many girls her age, and the little curves that were there to begin with were invisible beneath that shirt…

And the position had always been advertised for men.

Was Sanji thinking that....

Zeff had decided...he'd hire the girl no matter how good she was. Lord knew he deserved a bit of entertainment in this crazy restaurant.

And he was in need of new servers.

* * *

"Madame, I recommend this wine for a beauty such as yourself."

Strauss' foot tapped faster. This was getting ridiculous.

At first all was well. Sanji had shown her the blackboard where the daily specials were, the way to the kitchens up and down the spiral staircase (pointing out a chipped step caused by a pirate attack), as well as the exact locations of each individual bottle in the wine cellar. It was mind boggling really, and she knew full well that this was going to be a lot to remember. Let alone memorising the menu, the ingredients in the dishes, and the best drinks to go with said dishes. It was a lot of work.

Work that she really needed right now. Something to keep her mind off things.

But what was too much, way too much, was the behaviour of her co-worker she was shadowing. In particular...his behaviour around women. As soon as a female walked through the door, he doted on her every word and showed her every possible kindness.

No matter who they were with.

Take this poor woman. Judging by the slim gold ring on her finger and the silently raging man across her, she was obviously married or engaged.

"It has a delicate, light fragrance. Similar to your floral perfume."

So why was he flirting with her? If you could even call it that. At this point it was more harassment than anything.

And it wasn't just that. Strauss was no fool; she noticed how Sanji always angled his body towards any woman he served, and how meticulous he was with their serving compared to how he served men. The casual diner wouldn't have noticed. It was only because she'd seen it again...and again...and again…

She wondered for a moment why he hadn't aimed for her yet if he was such a flirt, but the thought vanished in an instant. They were coworkers after all. He was respecting that boundary.

But still… Oooh, she just wanted to kick some courtesy into him… if she wasn't afraid of getting fired.

Eventually, she couldn't take it any longer. "Sanji." She tapped his back.

As soon as he turned to her, he scowled, "What?

"A table behind is ready to order," Strauss gestured to a table (of entirely men) waving their hands desperately in the air a few feet away.

"I see." He sighed. Turning back to the couple, he bowed deeply, "My apologies madam, but I must go. I hope you enjoy your meal." Straightening, both himself and his collar, he stalked towards the awaiting table.

Before following, Strauss lingered at the table. Like Sanji, she too bowed, "Please excuse my colleague. I'll be sure to have a word with him later. Is there anything I can do to compensate?"

Could she do this? She was in big trouble if she wasn't.

"Thank you," the gentleman replied as he reached across the table to link hands with his wife. Pausing, they glanced at each other, "Actually, we came all the way here to see the amazing fighting chefs. Would it be possible to guarantee a fight?"

The fighting chefs huh? That explained why there was a large open space just by the door. What a weird interest to focus a date around. She felt sorry for the poor woman, having to be dragged he-

"My wife is a big fan."

Well… Now Strauss felt stupid for entertaining stereotypes. She bowed, "I'm afraid I can make no promises, I don't want to disturb the other diners. However if a fight breaks out, I'll be sure to notify you immediately."

"Oi! Strauss," Sanji yelled from across the room, "You'd better not be disturbing the lady!"

The woman chuckled, "I guess that's really the best we can hope for. Thank you for listening though."

"It was my pleasure. Please, enjoy your meal," Strauss smiled as she walked back to Sanji.

"Sheesh." He groaned, "Try not to slack off on the job again, alright? We run a business here."

It was official. She didn't like him. All she had done was clean up after his mess, and the first thing he did was tell her off?!

Perhaps she could give that couple the fight they wanted right then and there.

Her stomach growled.

Sanji froze in his tracks. Slowly turning, "When did you last eat?"

"This morning."

"...I see." He took in her lean frame for a moment, before stalking off.

It was the truth after all. She'd saved her final slice of bread especially for today. She hadn't wanted her stomach to gurgle halfway through her interview after all.

And it still had...

Her shoulders tensed, but she eventually followed Sanji as he went upstairs. Right on the landing sat a jug full of water and some glasses.

"Drink this." He demanded, shoving a glass of water in Strauss' face, "It'll fill you up for a bit. And make sure you eat something after we're done."

She stiffened, taking the glass without realising it. Perhaps he wasn't that bad, just overly kind.

"I don't want you to disturb the ladies with that obnoxious sound."

The glass dug into her hand. Nope. He was just a flirt.

"Drink as much as you need," he sighed, completely oblivious, before walking downstairs once more.

How could someone be so...so….rude?!

"N...no way."

She turned, only to see a hord of burly cooks peering through a crack in the kitchen door.

"Has Sanji finally lost it?" one with a scarred eye murmured.

Another just gaped, "I never thought I'd see this day…"

"Oi you lot!" Zeff barked from inside, "What did I say about slacking off? Get back to work!"

The door shut with a squeak, doing nothing to muffle the sound of wood thwacking people's heads going on inside.

Strauss scratched her head. Just what was that all about? Was Sanji normally worse than this? She hoped not. How he was now was bad enough.

The glass was still in her hand. Sighing, she drank it all. Just a usual day of drinking water to quell the hunger. This was something she could deal with.

At least this water was clean.

After a few more swigs, she went back down to the floor. Manager Zeff had a point after all. She couldn't be slacking off on her training.

"OI!" The kitchen door slammed open again, "Table 9's food is ready."

"Right away." She took the two plates, making a note of what menu items they were. This was the seafood carbonara and the oyster linguine. Just as well Sanji had been grilling her on recognising the dishes. Why did they have to look so similar...it wasn't fair.

The cook frowned behind his small glasses, "I'll leave the other two on the counter, come up once you've delivered those."

She cocked her head, "Why not take them down now?" She held out her arms, "Just put them on my upper arms."

"I don't know…"

"Trust me," she smiled, "I have good balance."

He sighed, "I guess Sanji does it all the time…"

Two more dishes were bought out, beef salad and a lobster roll. After she was satisfied with how the chef put them on her arms, Strauss skipped down the stairs. This was nothing.

* * *

Sanji sighed as he saw Strauss making his way down the stairs. Seriously, was this newbie trying to show off? There were way too many times that inexperienced servers had tried to copy him only to waste platefuls of food. He should probably stop him before there was an even bigger mess.

Apart from…

The newbie seemed to be handling it just fine. Strauss didn't seem unbalanced in the slightest. He had it all under control, from the moment when he'd descended the stairs to when he delivered the dishes to the correct table.

A perfect picture of elegance.

"You didn't tell me you had experience," He smiled as Strauss walked towards him. Now that he properly looked, he even stood elegantly. Straight back, raised head, and poised feet. Much more sophisticated than those idiots in the kitchen. Perhaps, he could finally have someone to talk to apart from that Shitty Geezer.

"I don't," he walked straight past him, "I just have good balance."

Sanji's eyebrow twitched. The nerve! He was his senior here; this newbie should be treating him with respect, "Now listen here-"

"Hm?" Strauss straightened from the abandoned table behind him, "So...you don't want this table cleared?"

Oh. So that was it, "Uh...no we should clear this up."

"Okay then...," he sighed, collecting up the dirty cutlery.

Damn...that ponytail. If Sanji didn't know better he'd think Strauss was a girl. But he couldn't be. The job was specifically for men. And Strauss didn't have the right physique…

"Have I...spilt something on the shirt or something?"

Sanji now realised that he'd been staring at Strauss' (very much flat) chest for a solid minute. Ah well, they were both guys, "You'd better not. That's my shirt you're wearing."

"I know, sorry about that." He chuckled, stacking the plates onto his arm, "My clothes were pretty grubby, so the Manager Zeff thought I should change into something more sophisticated. And we seem to be similar sizes anyways."

Similar...but not quite the same, Sanji noted. He knew full well that he was slim, but even his shirt hung off Strauss. His eyes narrowed. The shitty geezer had said they were similar ages, but genetics couldn't make someone that skinny. There was also how his stomach rumbled.

He'd recognised that sound. It was something he'd never wanted to hear again.

The door flung open, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Bwahahaha!" The stout pirate at the front of the pack guffawed, "We're the Rotund Pirates! Give us all your food! And your cash too!"

Sanji groaned. Of course there would be a pirate attack just as they got a new server. What shitty luck! This had been what scared the last one off. And the one before that. (The one before _that_ quit on the first day after being introduced to that idiot Patty, but that didn't really matter now did it?)

Crack!

His head whipped to the side.

Strauss cracked his knuckles one more time, plates neatly set down on the table, "Are we allowed to beat them up? Since I am in serious need of some stress relief."

The corner of his mouth curled up. So Strauss wasn't scared. That or he was being brave for show. The answer would be obvious soon enough.

"We'll try to talk them out of it first," Sanji pulled his cigarettes out of his jacket pocket, placing one in his mouth, "If they don't listen, that's their problem."

"Fine by me."

"Excuse me sirs-" Sanji stepped forwards, Strauss just behind him- "Do you have a reservation?"

A gun barrel was shoved in his face, "I think this speaks for itself."

"I see." Sanji cooly lit his cigarette, tossing the still lit match into the pirate's face. "Then I politely ask you to leave. You are disturbing our guests."

The idle chatter of the diners had ceased. Multiple pairs of eyes were trained at the door. In fear, or in anticipation. It varied from guest to guest, depending on why they had come here.

He spluttered, "How...how dare you mock me!" His eyes snapped to Strauss, and the gun barrel switched its target. "If you don't take me to the food stores and the cash register right this moment, your little girlfriend here is gonna be filled with lead!"

Sanji winced internally. Poor Strauss. That must have been a massive blow to the ego. At least the newbie didn't seem that affected. He must get mistaken for a girl quite often.

No, instead Strauss turned to him, "Now?"

"Yeah, he ain't listening."

"Huh?!" The pirate leered, shoving a piece of parchment in their faces, "You think you can take me?! I got a bounty of 20,000,000 bellies! See!"

Strauss reached out to gently peel off the obviously exaggerated drawing, "Strange. You don't look like a Fishman to me."

"Wha…" He spun to his subordinates, "I thought I told you to do a better job this time!"

Slam!

Two feet planted themselves in his face. Both from different people.

Sanji and Strauss blinked at each other, legs still raised.

"Nice to know there's finally someone else here who can put up a good fight aside from the geezer," Sanji smirked.

Strauss chuckled, "I'm glad you're not just a pretty boy."

"H-hey!" The subordinates rushed forwards, "How dare you attack our Captain!"

"It's his fault for turning away."

"Why you-" The crew surged forwards.

The fight that ensued wasn't even worth mentioning. All the grunts had little to no combat experience. Sanji barely had to kick them hard. In a way, he was grateful. It meant that he could watch the newbie. See if all those words were all for show.

They weren't.

Even though they both used kicks, the way he fought was different to Sanji. Although Sanji prided himself on finesse and precision, Strauss took it to a whole other level. Every foot was extended, every sweep was straight. Even if there was less power behind it, his hits never failed to strike their target. He even had no problems using his hands to flip himself over opponents. Which he did a lot. Sanji wasn't sure if Strauss had even been touched, he wove so quickly between the opponents.

It was almost as if...it was a dance.

"Phew!" Strauss smiled as the final groaning pirate was booted into the ocean amidst the roaring applause from the diners. "I needed that!"

"That...was impressive," Sanji admitted, holding out a fist.

Raising an eyebrow, he gave it a light tap, "Same here. You need to teach me how to get that sorta power behind your kicks."

"Only if you teach me how to weave through enemies like that." Sanji replied, watching Strauss give a not-so-sly wink to that couple he'd been talking to earlier.

"It's a deal."

They grinned, going back to their duties with a newfound respect for each other that neither could properly explain.

* * *

Zeff chuckled from his observation point at the top of the stairs. He was glad that Strauss had come along when she did. She was just what the Baratie needed. Her table manners were impeccable, her balance was flawless, and most importantly she could clean up the mess that damn eggplant left behind.

He watched as she steered Sanji away from yet another table of uncomfortable ladies.

This would be good for the eggplant. Not only would he get a companion his own age for once, but it'd give him a good lesson about women.

Sighing, Zeff pulled down his long, long moustache. He didn't regret teaching Sanji never to harm a woman, but recently he was going a little too far. The longer the eggplant put women on a pedestal, the harder it'd come back to bite him later.

Zeff knew a few female chefs who would be downright furious if he treated them differently. He shuddered internally. Oh the number of ass whoopings he'd get…

Although there was one problem that was ruining his whole plan.

Down below Sanji yelled at Strauss for apologising to the table from before, lightly thumping her on the head.

Those two were too damn oblivious!

The eggplant hadn't realised that Strauss was a woman. That he knew for certain by now. Otherwise he wouldn't have even thought of letting her fight.

And Strauss had no idea the eggplant thought she was a man. How that happened, Zeff had no clue. Then again, she was more than a little bit headstrong.

He stroked his moustache again. Maybe he should just watch this play out. The eggplant was bound to find out eventually. Perhaps the lesson would stick better if he changed his behaviour towards her.

One thing was certain.

He was going to have to order copious amounts of Popcorn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo boy here we go again. But this time, it's an OC! I just like dropping characters into the endless void that is One Piece's universe to see how they react. 
> 
> I will update the other fics...I promise.  
> At some point.  
> In the future.  
> Yeah....:)


	2. Twinkle Toes

If she was allowed to dream again? Smoker curled his nose. Just what the hell did that mean? He pinched his nose. Now was not the time to be occupied with this madness. "What's your name again?"

"Strauss." She gradually got to her feet, furiously wiping her face.

So she had actually cried. He almost felt bad for her. Almost. No one should associate themselves with pirates.

"So they already left…" She chuckled limply, eyes swollen and red. "And the boss fired me too. Dammit..."

Smoker stroked his chin. It was his duty as a marine to help civilians...but he wasn't sure what he should do here. The girl was empty. All the wind had been taken out of her sails, leaving her stranded in a strange place. It was a pity she had a connection to those damn Straw Hats-

An idea zipped into his head.

"How about we make a deal?"

* * *

* * *

"So," Zeff started, back in his office, "What do you think?"

"About Strauss?" Sanji replied, slightly confused.

Zeff had a pretty decent idea why. He hadn't inquired after a server on their first day before. It was odd for him to show this much interest.

"Yes. What do you think?"

Sanji hummed, leaning back in his chair, "He's a good worker. Great fighter too, which is nice. Pretty much exactly what we were looking for."

Grunting, Zeff nodded, "Yeah, that's what I thought. One of the damn best servers we've ever had. So do you like he...Strauss?" He'd play along with the eggplant's gendering for now. Even if it was blatantly wrong.

"As a person you mean?" Sanji blew out a line of smoke, "Polite, but sometimes a bit stubborn. You can tell when he's not comfortable with something. Very…" He tapped his chin for the right word, "refined. Not bad to look at either, which is better than those lousy excuses in the kitchen- Oi shitty geezer, are you alright?"

Zeff finished his impromptu coughing fit. Not bad to look at. _Not bad to look at_. Oh that eggplant was going to bite his words one day. He waved a hand, trying to dismiss it. "Oh you just wish I'd keel over already."

Sanji snorted.

"Well," He sat up, "Just as well you like... _him_ , since you two are going to be sharing a room."

Sanji fiddled with his fingers, "I was...just about to ask you if we could."

Interesting. He raised a bushy eyebrow, "You _were_ , were you?"

"Well yeah. Strauss is way too refined to share a room with those bumbling idiots. And it'd be pretty disorientating to spend the night alone your first day in a new place. Especially this far away from the mainland."

Zeff's reasoning had primarily been because a woman couldn't exactly share with the rest of the cooks, and that he didn't want to clear out a store room just so she had somewhere to sleep. As the eggplant had said, they were pretty far from any sort of land. Space was a luxury out here.

Besides, he smiled as Sanji's thumbs twiddled frantically around each other, he knew full well why the eggplant wanted it. He was lonely. It was clear as day by how little Sanji complained when they were short of servers. Any other chef wouldn't want to be submitted to the hell that was customer service. But Sanji never said a word.

Sure, the occasional fight broke out when a customer disrespected either him or the food -(Zeff frowned. He'd caused more than a few of those fights himself)- but the eggplant was always happy to keep going out and serving customers. On one of those rare quiet moments Zeff had caught him standing by the stairs with his eyes shut, just listening to their idle chatter with a soft smile on his face.

Not to mention that all the other chefs Zeff had brought in were much older than Sanji. Much more experienced. Much more violent. Most of them blew the eggplant off before he'd overwhelmed them with his cooking talent. And even then, many of them saw the brat as a rival or a coworker than as a friend. Of course the eggplant would leap at the chance of being able to keep talking to a person his own age.

It was pretty damn funny just how oblivious he was though. Actually this entire situation was turning out to be pretty damn hilarious. The eggplant was going to kick himself once he realised that he'd invited a girl into his room without batting an eye

No...he'd probably try and drown himself. Something dramatic with death involved. That'd be a nuisance to deal with. And Strauss wouldn't be much help either…

Zeff groaned, a migraine threatening to reappear.

The eggplant'd better thank him for this when he was older. And the other kid too for that matter. This was more of a hassle than he'd originally anticipated.

* * *

Strauss wiped her brow and marvelled at her handiwork. Who knew it'd take so long to mop an entire restaurant. Or that diners dropped so much food.

"You done already?"

She glanced up at Sanji as he descended, "Yeah, just finished."

He gave a low whistle, taking in the row upon row of chairs stacked on top of bare tables, "Damn, good job."

"So…" she raised an eyebrow, leaning on the mop, "Did I get the job?"

Sanji gaped, "You serious?"

Sighing, she swung the mop over her shoulder and started to head up the stairs, "Well that's that. On to the next place I guess…"

He almost inhaled his cigarette.

"Oh god, are you okay?"

"Just...fine…"

"Can I get you some water or anything?"

"I'm…" He coughed loudly, thumping himself on the back, "I'm good...just a shock…"

She cocked her head, "A shock?"

"Yeah." Finally recomposed, Sanji smoothed down any errant hair that had been disturbed, "Just...by how stupid you are sometimes."

The nerve of him! He shouldn't be the one calling her that when he was so oblivious about women's feelings. "Stupid?"

"Obviously. Since how could you have possibly misinterpreted me _that_ badly?"

She turned, eyes wide, "I…I got the job?"

"Of course you did!"

Her entire body sagged, all the tension and stress melting away, "Oh thank God…" She wasn't sure what she would have done if she hadn't.

"Did you honestly think that you wouldn't?" Sanji puffed a plume of smoke out the corner of his lips,"I mean come on, I was complimenting you so often."

"You also _yelled_ at me pretty often."

"That's because you were harassing the ladies."

She snorted. "Yeah, _I_ harassed the ladies."

"Hm? What's that supposed to mean?"

Groaning, she resisted the very tempting urge to slam her face into the wall. Just how oblivious was he? Did he seriously not realise how uncomfortable he made women? Halfway up the stairs, she span to face Sanji.

He blinked, "What? You were the one who said something weird."

"It wasn't weird. I never did anything wrong." Her hands tightened on the mop.

"But..." his brow creased, "You were always spending so much time with them, what else could you have been doing?"

JUST! KICK! HIS! BRAINS! OUT! Strauss sucked in a breath, willing herself to calm down. Anger wouldn't get her anywhere. It never did. All she could do was distance herself from this...this... _idiot_! Before she could bubble over and do something she'd definitely regret.

So she squared her shoulders, and went to put the cleaning equipment back in its cupboard.

"O...oi!" Sanji reached out to grab her arm, which she inevitably dodged. "Seriously, what do you mean? I don't get it."

"What a hypocrite."

He frowned, "Uh...I didn't quite catch that…"

"It doesn't matter," she replied tersely. But before she could get far enough away, her stomach gave a deafening gurgle. She grimaced. The water had staved off the hunger for a but, but not long enough.

She heard a sigh behind her, but then to her shock she found herself danging in the air.

"Just as I thought." Sanji muttered, raising her higher into the air, "Malnourished."

She blinked.

He tsked, "Just as well I found out before dinner. If you ate anything too rich you'd throw it right up. And I don't like wasting good food."

A pause.

"Sanji."

"Yeah?"

"Are you...seriously holding me up by the armpits?"

She swore he blew smoke deliberately into her face, "Isn't it obvious?"

This guy… "You do realise that you can dislocate someone's shoulders that way, right?"

"H...huh?!" He abruptly let go, letting her bounce down, "Really?!"

"Unlike bags of flour or potatoes, humans can't be handled roughly however strong they are."

"Oh, well the only people I lift are ladies who deserve to be treated with care. You were an exception."

Well...what.. Just how was she supposed to interpret that? Did he mean that she didn't deserve to be treated with care? Or that she wasn't a lady? To be honest Strauss didn't really think of herself as a lady either, so that last point didn't really matter to her. But still… how disgusting. She pinched her nose and sighed, "Just...give me a fair warning next time you plan to lift me again, okay?"

"I think you'll find that I'll never lift you ever again," Sanji groaned, but eventually agreed. "Now-" He rolled up his sleeves, kicking open the door to the kitchen- "Let's make you something to eat."

She followed him in, cocking her head, "I thought you don't like wasting food."

"I don't, but _someone_ wouldn't be able to eat the leftovers which would be their dinner."

She hadn't been able to see the kitchen during the chaos earlier. It was a larger than she'd realised, even if it was just two central counters with a row of ovens lining the walls. Although the only time she'd seen it was when it was filled with about 20 burly cooks. Anything would seem small compared to them. Even so the place was spotless, which was impressive considering how much it got used.

As Sanji made a beeline to the cupboards at the back, she hesitantly leant back against the noticeboard by the board. There was a lot of equipment here that she probably shouldn't touch. It was best she stayed well away from anything.

He turned, sweeping a quick glance over her figure as he snuffed out his cigarette in an ashtray that was obviously only used by him, "You said that you'd eaten this morning?"

She had a hunch that she shouldn't try to dodge the implied question. Not when Sanji was in his natural habitat among various knives. "A piece of bread."

"How big?"

"About…" she frowned, adjusting the space between her fingers until they were just over an inch apart- "That big. Ish. It was what I had left."

"Was it always bread, or did you try and vary your diet?"

She shrugged, "Hard to say. I was a scavenger after all. I ate what I could find. Some days were good, some...not so good. But I always managed to get by. I did my best to get some veg or meat, but it wasn't easy… I did manage to get my hands on some fruit occasionally though."

"So you at least _tried_ to get a balanced diet…" He nodded slowly, and started rummaging through the cupboards, "That's a plus at least. Means it won't take you as long to get adjusted to normal food."

"You say that as if you know."

He froze, arm still outstretched. Wrong thing to say.

She backtracked fast, "Sorry. Shouldn't have pried. It's just that-"

"No. It's fine." He straightened, scooping some already cooked rice into a bowl. Pausing again, he hesitantly turned his head towards her, "How long?"

"Since I was 12. So…4 years."

4 long and painful years. That were ultimately for nothing.

The bowl got held out to her, "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about." She took it with a dip of the head, "Others have gone through worse."

It always amazed her just how delicious rice could look, and Sanji seemed to have done something to it. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but whatever it was made the dish smell amazing.

"Follow me." He motioned, quickly gathering some leftovers into a dish for himself, "The other cooks eat together, but I find them a little patronising at times. Especially that shitty geezer. I know a better spot."

"Sure."

It wasn't that far to go. The Baratie wasn't large enough or confusing enough to get lost in after all. Climbing a floor, Sanji pushed open a door that led to the uppermost balcony. The sun had long since set. The restaurant closed at 10pm and it took a some time after that to clean up, which meant the moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the only objects up there. An iron table and two chairs.

"Wow...should I be flattered?"

"Shut up," Sanji snarled back, "It isn't as if we set this up for you. It's always here. Sometimes we get really haughty guests who insist on having a 'private room'. As if we have enough space for that!"

"So you stick them outside?"

"Basically. And then if they have the nerve to complain, we kick them out."

She snorted, "I take it it's never been used."

"Not once," he grinned back.

"Then why do you still have it here?"

"Did you hear what I said about space? There's nowhere else to put this thing. Besides-" Sanji hopped onto the tabletop, using one of the two windows that jutted out to hoist himself onto the roof- "it has its uses. You coming?"

"You bet!" Strauss mimicked his movements, stumbling slightly on a loose tile she didn't quite see.

"Careful."

"I'm good."

They sat down next to each other, side by side on the flat roof. It was peaceful up there. A land of blue and silver against the lull of the waves. The only slither of colour was from an open window down below, sending a path of golden boisterous laughter out over the ocean.

Strauss sighed, relishing the salty sea air in her face, "This is nice…"

"Yeah." He smiled, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, "This is my spot. Somewhere those idiots down below can't harass me."

They only spoke in murmurs. It felt appropriate. Speaking too loud would ruin the calm that they both sorely needed after a long day of serving customers.

"Eat up. Or it's going to get cold."

"Sure." The rice had barely entered her mouth before she squealed. She never squealed. Never. But this time, she just couldn't help it. "So...good!"

Sanji sniggered, "Hey, it's just rice. Just wait until I make a proper meal, then you'll know what good food is."

"I'll hold you to that." It took everything she had to not stuff her face like a hampster. If she ate too fast, this flavour would disappear forever. She wanted to savour this. To remember this taste for as long as she lived.

There was silence once more, pierced by the clinks of cutlery against chinaware and the occasional bellows of the cooks. But all good things must come to an end, and eventually Strauss had slurped up every grain of rice in her bowl. She would have felt sad, but the satisfied feeling of finally having a full belly contracted it completely. She couldn't have eaten another mouthful if she'd tried.

"I'm beat." Sanji groaned, setting aside his own empty plate and collapsing onto his back.

She flopped down alongside him, "Me too."

Now she was lying down, it finally hit just how tired she was. How long had it been since she'd properly slept. Days? Weeks? She had no idea. All she knew was how heavy her limbs felt as they sank into the tiling.

How...heavy…

* * *

Sanji chuckled as Strauss lightly snored next to him. He couldn't blame the guy. He'd had his first proper meal in 4 years. No wonder he shut down as soon as his back had touched the roof.

_"So...good!"_

4 years was a long time. Sanji wondered just what had happened for Strauss to be in that situation. It wasn't starvation, not like his circumstances. There was muscle on Strauss, even if there wasn't much else.

He wouldn't ask though. There was no knowing how long Strauss was going to be here. No point in getting too attached. But…

Sanji wished he would stay. It was nice to have someone who understood. Sure, there was the shitty geezer, but that was different. Strauss was different. Strauss was actually _nice_. Most of the time at least.

Strauss snored once more, head lolling back.

Sanji got to his feet. He should probably him inside before he caught a cold. It'd be pretty bad for the newbie to be sick on his first day of work. He stacked the kitchenware in one hand and lightly tossed his sleeping coworker over his shoulder.

So much for saying he'd never carry Strauss again. At least this shouldn't be a regular occurrence. And Strauss had better thank him for doing his dishes. Hell, Strauss should be washing _his_ dishes, not the other way round.

He slid down the slanting part of the roof and back onto the table. Strauss didn't so much as stir, even with the jolt of Sanji bouncing off the table.

But he'd let him off. Just for today. Next time he wouldn't be so lenient.

Hopefully there would be a next time. And a next time after that.

* * *

Strauss woke up at the same time she always did. At the crack of dawn. It was a habit hammered into her from a very early age, and only solidified by a life of scavenging and working odd jobs.

The Baratie didn't do breakfasts, only opening its doors around midday for the lunchtime rush. After all, there were very few people who would wake up at the crack of dawn and hop on a ship just to get a special breakfast. Even if it probably would have been the best one they'd ever tasted.

Sitting up, she opened her mouth in a silent yawn before sliding out of her hammock. She must have fallen asleep last night.

Sanji stirred at the sound of her feet hitting the floor, but just rolled over and relaxed.

She'd apologise to him later. And thank Manager Zeff for preparing somewhere she could sleep so fast. Sharing a room with the flirt wasn't ideal, but it was definitely better than bunking with a bunch of middle aged men. Yes it meant that she didn't get a bed, but she preferred hammocks anyways. She'd tweak this one properly later.

The door creaked. She froze, waiting for Sanji to doze off once more before closing the door behind her.

The air outside was so refreshing in the mornings. Strauss smiled, stretching her arms above her head and relishing in the cool breeze. She'd have another long day ahead of her, better get her practice over fast.

She was just in relaxing into a vertical splits against the wall when the door burst open, "Stauss?"

"Oh," she straightened, "Manager Zeff."

He waved a hand dismissively, "None of that 'manager' bullshit, okay? I work in the kitchens here same as everyone else." Marching forwards, he leant on the railing opposite her, "I just came to discuss our plans. Since although we get odd ones working here, you're a bit of a special case."

She winced, "Yeah...sorry about that."

"Eh. I'm sure you'll repay us someday. Now…" His eyes narrowed, "I take it you didn't bring anything with you?"

"Only the clothes from yesterday. But don't worry about spending anything on me. I'm used to it."

"It's not you I'm worried about, it's this restaurant's reputation. We can't have you dressing shabbily or it'll scare off the customers. Damn kids never think these sorta things through...this is why I don't like them..."

Strauss curled her nose. She didn't _own_ anything other than those clothes. It was a little rude to criticise her for that. However the wry smile on his face made her think that he didn't really mean it.

"Strauss can borrow my clothes."

The two turned towards the door, "Did we wake you, Sanji."

"Of course you did, you shitty old man, your voice is deafening." He raised a hand to stifle a yawn, "I was getting up anyway. Need to get some food prep in before the thundering idiots take over the kitchen."

"Would it really be alright for me to keep borrowing your clothes," Strauss asked. She wasn't stupid after all. Zeff had a point. Even this one set of clothes that Sanji had leant here were already creased from sleeping in them all night. But that still didn't make this all okay. "I'll wash them and iron them and everything, but is it really alright."

"Why not?" Sanji pinched at his shirt on her, tugging it to reveal just how baggy it was on her, "It isn't as if anyone else's will actually fit you. Besides, you can come with us when we stock up on Wednesday."

Strauss frowned. Wednesday… Why was that important again? She felt she should know…

"It's our one day off a week," Sanji chopped her on the head, "Keep up! You should've already memorised this by now."

Zeff snorted, "Yeah, since it took you months to do you damn eggplant."

"Oi! What was that you shitty geezer!?"

Wednesday huh? Well it was Friday now, so she had an entire week to get used to this place. Hopefully she'd get enough on tips to be able to pay for her own things, but it wasn't likely. Still, it surprised her by just how willing they were to get her, an employee who they weren't sure would stay longer than a month, new supplies.

It wasn't for the benefit of the restaurant. What good would it be to buy stuff for a random stranger. Then...was it out of sympathy?

Zeff's pegleg thumped repetitively into Sanji's head, their angry yells getting louder and louder.

Nope. Definitely not sympathy.

She decided to drop it. She shouldn't complain after all. She'd got a new job, and new clothes to boot. Hopefully, that meant they thought she could have a permanent position.

A loud yell exploded inside.

"Right then. Seems like the others are awake." Zeff straightened, going back to the door, "Let's get going, eggplant, twink...le toes."

Strauss and Sanji exchanged a look, the latter nursing a tender bump on his head, "Twinkle toes?"

He raised an eyebrow, "It's the newbie's nickname. Makes sense, doesn't it? Since Strauss's so acrobatic. Thought of it just now."

Twinkle toes. Really? _Really?!_ She'd been called Granny a couple of times, having grey hair was tough, but never twinkle toes.

"I think it works perfectly." Sanji smiled in a way that would be pleasant if he wasn't trying to stifle giggles, "Right, twinkle toes?"

Oh he did not… Well two can play at that game. So Strauss glanced back to him, "Why thank you, pretty boy."

"Hey! I'm a man! I grew up from being a boy a long time ago."

"Eh… I'd say you spend too much time preening yourself to be a real man. That mirror in your room was pretty big after all..."

"THE EYEBROWS TAKE A LOT OF WORK!"

"Really?" Her lip curled, "So you need all that space to work on a tiny little eyebrow do you?"

"SHUT YOUR FACE!"

She let out a tiny giggle as she flipped over the railing to the balcony below, just avoiding Sanji's threat of kicking in her skull. Oh it was good to finally be able to press his buttons. So damn good. She'd been waiting, just waiting, to get him riled up. He was practically asking for it.

At least she knew she was going to get a good fight from the endeavour.

* * *

Zeff sweated profusely alone on the balcony. He'd almost called Strauss a twink. A twink! He'd been caught up in the eggplant's gendering for too long and got carried away. Thankfully he'd managed to cover it, and neither of those brats had noticed his slip up.

It didn't seem like they recognised the word though, or that would have been the first thing Sanji would have fired back at her. Was twink not used anymore? Dear God he felt old...

But what a mistake to make. It was completely inaccurate; Strauss wasn't gay or even male for that matter. As far as he knew at least… Actually he didn't really want to think about it.

Twinkle toes and pretty boy.

Zeff shuddered, turning his back to the temper tantrum Sanji was throwing. He _really_ didn't want to think about it.

Oh god the reputation of the Baratie was going to go down the drain.

This plan was collapsing a lot faster than he'd ever anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. If you don't know what a twink is, I recommend you give it a google. It's used as pure light hearted fun here, aside from Zeff being old, so please don't read too much into it.
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter! I'm really fond of this story already, so I'm not planning on giving it up just yet. Thank you all for reading!


	3. Too many unknowns

Her eyes widened, "Are you...are you serious? You'd let me come with you?"

Smoker nodded. He wasn't doing this out of the kindness of his heart. Not in the slightest. If this girl knew the Straw Hat crew, she may know some weaknesses to exploit or some vague idea on where they were heading. It was clear that she wouldn't give up this information under interrogation, not if she was as close with that cook as he thought she was, so perhaps she would let something slip by accident.

And it wasn't as if she had any other option. She wouldn't get another opportunity like this, and he knew it.

He thought she'd jump at the chance. But instead of answering an immediate 'yes', she merely furrowed her brow.

"You're just going to let a potential acquaintance of pirate tag along with the Marines?" Shaking her head, she let out a low chuckle, "Have to say, I didn't see that coming. Just...give me a moment here, would you? I need to think this through."

So she had a level head on her shoulders. Smoker's lips curled. It was a pity that she wasn't a Marine herself. He knew too many officers who had unfortunate tendencies to run into situations blind. Himself included.

But desperation was a powerful drug, and was known to cloud the clearest of judgments. He would just have to rely on that.

"I guess I have no choice do I?"

He extended a hand towards her, "Welcome aboard, Miss Strauss."

"Please take care of me, Captain Smoker." They shook.

A powerful drug indeed.

* * *

* * *

"Geez this hurts!" Sanji growled, trying to force his legs to go straighter.

Strauss chuckled, perfect at ease in her oversplit, "I thought that you would at least be able to do the splits. I mean come on, you fight with kicks!"

His visible eye widened, "How can you even bend like that…"

"Practice." She shrugged, leaning over one leg to further the stretch, "So shut up and get stretching."

"Uh, fine."

She rolled her eyes. Sanji looked so strange without a collared shirt on. It had been just over a week, but it was all she saw him wear.

At least until a day ago.

Wednesday had finally come, leading to the highly anticipated shopping trip. Ironically, Sanji was more excited than Strauss was. All he did was point out shops with 'good taste' (and high price tags) and shops to buy cologne. Cologne! It made Strauss wince just thinking about it. Did he realise just how frivolous he was being?! It was ridiculous!

Well...not that she'd told him that. He was her senior at the Baratie after all. As much as it pained her to do so, she had to treat him with at least a little bit of respect. She might get fired otherwise.

At least it made sure that the clothes she got were somewhat durable. Sanji did have an eye for quality, she'd give him that. He even offered to pick out underwear for her, but Zeff had slammed his head into the pavement and told him to pick up the supplies. Probably for the best. Strauss didn't know how knowledgeable her co-worker was in the ways of female underwear, but she sure as hell didn't want to find out.

An errant gust of wind blew through her baggy shirt, sending shivers up Strauss' back. Flinching, she ended her stretch.

Ideally, she would be wearing something tight fitting when it came to training, but one look in the shop mirror had ended that. There was something about seeing the scrawny husk in the mirror which made her want to look away. It was pitiful. Weak.

Useless.

She'd taken the largest shirt she could find.

"You okay?"

"Hm?" She blinked. "Sorry, I must've zoned out. Guess I'm just a little tired."

Sanji smirked, "Tired? Does that mean you can't handle the next step?"

After seeing her buy training clothes, Sanji had asked if they could work on that deal of theirs. Which created this new morning routine to improve both flexibility and sparring technique.

Well...that was the idea at least.

Strauss frowned, "Next step? But you haven't finished your stretches!"

Sanji gaped, "There're more!"

"Well yes. You need to do ten repeats of the cycle I just showed you, followed by another set of breathing exercises."

"HUH?!"

"Is that not enough?"

"Oh it's enough alright." Sighing, he pinched his nose, "Look. It's our first day of doing this. We don't want to push our bodies more then they are physically able to."

Strauss nodded. He made a good point. She thought she was being lax already, but Sanji was already struggling with the proper posture. She would have to let up a little. "Nine repeats then."

"... Three."

"Nine."

"Four?"

" _Nine_."

He groaned, "But then I'll be too sore to coach you… And I need to do food prep too!"

Too sore? Too sore?! Strauss couldn't believe her ears. How could he be that good at fighting when he didn't do the proper training. Fine. She'd placate him today, and pick up the slack tomorrow.

"Okay," she frowned, crossing her arms, "You only have to do a few repeats."

"I don't get why I should have to do any."

Her eyebrow quirked upward, "I thought you actually _wanted_ to get stronger. My mistake."

Sanji bristled, "I _do_ want to get stronger. What I don't understand though is why you have to repeat the same thing over and over again. You get the idea after the first couple of times."

Her eyes narrowed, "What're you talking about? Preparing your body is so important, especially if you are going to spar.."

"Yeah, but you only need to do those stretches a few times, right? Then it's just muscle memory."

She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe it. What...what an idiot!

He didn't get it at all.

"Let me ask you something." She muttered, hands balling into fists. "How long exactly do you think it took me to perfect the stretch I was just doing?"

Sanji hummed, tapping his chin, "I dunno. It looked complicated, so maybe a week? A month at tops."

A month. He thought that much work only took a month.

There was no getting through to him. Strauss sighed. She couldn't deal with this. She had to cope with his obnoxious behaviour while waitressing, she shouldn't have to go the same thing in the mornings as well. Slinging her small towel over her shoulder, she made her way towards the door.

"Whe...where do you think you're going."

"To get a cold shower." She glared back, "Your whining is giving me a headache."

"Did I get it right?"

Strauss slammed the door behind her without saying a word. Ridiculous. He was ridiculous.

The first rays of the morning sun shone through the window panes. They'd got up early to do their so called 'training'. Hopefully, it meant that none of the others were awake yet.

She needed a long, long shower.

* * *

"I don't get him, Zeff!"

Zeff licked his finger and flipped over the page of his newspaper. "Mhm."

"He's…ARGH!" Sanji tore at his hair, pivoting on his heel to march back down the small length of the office. Zeff hoped he wouldn't keep doing it. He didn't want to replace the floorboards again. "Why the hell does he have to be so...so...annoying! Do you think he's doing it on purpose?"

"Mhm."

"I knew it! Of course it's on purpose! And after I was so nice to him too. That arrogant little prick! He's so inconsiderate. He shouldn't be allowed to wait tables anymore."

"Mmmmmmmmhm."

"But he's really good at his job… He's the best we've ever had. All the other guys were absolutely pathetic. So...what do we do? It isn't as if we can fire him, can we?"

"Mhm."

"...You're not listening to me are you."

"Not in the slightest."

Sanji scowled, but it quickly faded as he realised the section Zeff was scanning. The obituaries. "Any...anyone we know?"

Zeff's lips tightened into a fine line. Part of the problem with running one of the best restaurants in the East Blue was that they didn't have a very large customer base. There were many times when either Zeff or Sanji had grown attached to customers...only for them to pass in tragic accidents.

However safe this ocean was, it still carried a sea of difficulties.

He closed the paper, folding it in half with a flick of the wrist. "No one we care about. It was mostly another article about the major figures who died this month."

"I see." Sanji sagged. "That's good…"

Sanji never liked it when he lost people he cared about. Zeff knew that much. The damn boy was too emotional for his own good. It worried the old man a little. Although he could still kick whichever ass he pleased, Zeff wasn't exactly getting any younger. And he knew it. Perhaps that was part of the reason why he hoped that Strauss and the eggplant would be friends. He needed someone to take care of the kid after he was gone.

Not that he planned on dying anytime soon, obviously. There was still life in him yet.

But he couldn't take chances.

"So…" He laced his fingers together, leaning back in his chair, "You don't like Strauss because you don't think that all the training is necessary?"

"It's not just that! Well it kinda is...but it isn't! Dammit..." Sanji threw his hands in the air, "He just...doesn't listen to me. Ever. It's like… like he doesn't get it. There's no reason to be so straightlaced."

"Makes sense to me."

He cocked his head, "Really? Why?"

Zeff sighed. He was honestly surprised at times by just how inexperienced this kid was sometimes. "Listen here, you damn eggplant, and listen good. People are different."

"Well obviously-"

"I told you to listen, so shut your trap!" Zeff thunked Sanji on the head with his long chef's hat. "People are different. They're good and bad at different things." He pointed at him, "You, you damn eggplant, are abnormally good at fighting. All you really need is someone to copy, and then you can fight. It's like it's built into you or something."

He did not miss the slight flinch that rippled through Sanji's body, but paid it no mind. If it was important, he would open up by himself. Zeff had no right to push it.

So he pushed on, "Most people have to work to get that good. Hell, how long did you have to practice to get your cooking to where it is now?"

Sanji grimaced.

"Exactly. It took absolutely ages, and more practice than you can think about. So-" Now was the crucial step- "Just imagine if someone waltzed into your kitchen with no culinary experience at all, hasn't even boiled an egg, and tells you that cooking is the easiest thing of all and takes barely any time to learn."

"I'd kick his head in obviously!" Sanji growled, "He hasn't done it before, so what right does he have to tell me…" His eyes widened. "Oh."

So he got it. Well that was a relief at least. If only he was more observant about other things. Zeff tilted back his chair, "You don't know what exactly Strauss has done to get to this point, and Strauss doesn't know what exactly you've done to get to this point. It's not your fault for not knowing, but you shouldn't blame the other person for getting upset because of your misunderstandings."

Sanji slowly sank onto the stool opposite Zeff's desk, "I genuinely thought that training was easy for everyone."

"I figured that much," Zeff sighed. "Otherwise I'd see you training more."

"I should probably apologise."

"Yeah. You really should."

"But...how?"

"Oh sweet Jes…" Zeff ran a hand down his face. "Are you seriously asking me how to apologise to someone?"

Sanji flushed, turning to the side, "I dunno how to talk to guys my own age. Only girls."

Well it wouldn't be a problem then, Zeff thought. Since Strauss WAS A GIRL FOR HEAVENS SAKE!

"It's not that different." He reached forwards to pat him on the shoulder. "Just do what comes naturally."

* * *

What came naturally? Easier said than done. Sanji didn't know what natural was in front of Strauss. He wasn't normal. Or at least what Sanji thought was normal. Ladies didn't seem to interest the guy, no matter how gorgeous or how enchanting each one was. All ladies were gorgeous and enchanting of course, so to ignore them like that was a sin! But Strauss didn't seem like a bad guy though…

Oh! He tapped his fist down. Maybe Strauss was gay! That would explain why he didn't pay enough attention to the ladies. But it wasn't as if he gave preferential treatment to the guys either, so that didn't really work. Sanji let out a mini sigh of relief. He wasn't sure how he'd react to Strauss being gay, considering he shared a room with the guy.

No! He squared his shoulders. If Strauss was gay, he would be a good friend and support him. All the other chefs would probably laugh at him for being a sissy (even though Strauss could probably take them all on single handedly) so he'd probably appreciate someone being at his back. Yeah! And that would help with his apology. It was perfect!

"What the hell are you doing?"

Sanji span round to see Strauss' incredulous face from the doorway.

Ah. Right. Standing on his bed striking a power pose probably wasn't what his roommate had expected to see. Let alone with his floppy fringe pinned back as it normally was when he groomed his eyebrows.

Come to think of it, he should probably think of "I...I was…"

"Forget it-" Strauss groaned, flopping onto his hammock with a sigh- "I'm not sure I want to find out."

Sanji winced at the cold edge in that voice. So he was still mad at him. Zeff had said to make up with Strauss by the end of the day _or else_ , which sounded ominous. Sanji knew he didn't want to get whatever that was. It was probably painful.

"Can you turn down that light?" Strauss waved a hand, " _Some_ people have training in the morning, and they really want to get some sleep."

"Oh. Okay." With shaky fingers, he flipped the switch to turn off the light and tucked into bed.

Silence, broken only by two sets of breathing. Neither heavy enough to be asleep.

Sanji's lips tightened. Here goes nothing, "You came back faster than I expected."

"I'm _trying_ to sleep."

He sagged. "I...I see." He was obviously having none of it. Sanji cursed himself for making such a dumb mistake like that earlier. He was almost friends with Strauss, but he just had to go and ruin it didn't he. And why did he even say that. _'You came back faster than I expected'_ yuck! That sounded like he was waiting for him, or being really strict or something. It sounded so bad. Gah, he was such an idiot!

"Patty was in the kitchen."

Sanji blinked.

Strauss sighed, shifting his weight a little, "He offered to wash our dishes for me. I had nothing else to do...so I came back."

"Strauss…" He blinked, sitting up to stare at the hammock. "I-"

"Can I say something quickly? Before you go ahead and...say whatever you're going to say."

The apology caught in his throat. "S...sure."

"Thanks." Strauss hesitated, sucking in a deep breath. "I...I'm sorry. For reacting so badly this morning."

How could Strauss always manage to catch him off guard like this? He always said the most unexpected things, and the most degrading to himself. It was like he wanted to be cast under a spotlight of blame.

Taking Sanji's silence for an invitation, Strauss continued, "It's just… I didn't get where you were coming from. I know I can be intense at times, particularly when it comes to training, and I haven't ever trained with anyone else, so I wasn't sure how to deal with it, and I should've taken it back a notch-"

He had to interject now or he'll go on forever, "It's okay! It's completely fine."

"It is?" It hurt Sanji to hear that much relief in his friend's voice. "Oh that's great. I thought I might have offended you, which really I didn't want."

"If anything I should be the one apologising to you."

The silhouette on the hammock sat up, still managing to keep perfect balance, "You? You don't have to, you're my senior after all."

"But I didn't consider the effort you put into your flexibility. I…" The words choked in his throat. Apologising to someone he knew was a lot harder than making forced apologies to customers. And he didn't even make those that often. "I was rude. And inconsiderate. It's my fault, and I'm sorry."

Strauss sniffed, "There were better ways of phrasing it."

"Yeah… But I really am sorry."

"I know. And I forgive you. Do you...forgive me?"

He smiled, "Yeah."

There was a loud thump in the darkness, and a pair of legs being lit by the sliver of moonlight they got through their tiny porthole, "Phew! I'm glad that's out the way. I was worrying about that for so long…"

He let out a chuckle, "Me too."

"God" Strauss we're pathetic."

"We really are, aren't we."

The waves sloshed against the side of the Baratie. Far off in the distance, they could vaguely make out the cry of a sea bird as it flew back to it's nest.

"I can't sleep. Can you?"

"Not in the slightest."

"So let's chat for a bit." Sanji prodded hopefully.

Strauss hesitated for a bit. "Sure." With a bit of wriggling, his head appeared over the edge of his hammock, "Do you have any topic in mind?"

"Uh…" He did, but he didn't think it would go down that well. "What about you?"

"Me?! Okay then… Uh… How do you know Zeff? You guys seem really close. Is he your dad?"

Dad… Voices echoed through his head. Voices that he'd hoped that he had forgotten by now. He shook them off. "He's as good as my dad, that shitty geezer."

"I see." A chuckle. "I won't press it anymore then."

A gentle smile made its way onto Sanji's face, "Thanks."

"I know just how toxic the past can be. So don't worry about it."

"Oh… okay."

Silence fell once more.

"This is...really hard."

"Yeah."

They both let out a deep sigh.

"We're terrible at this."

"Yup." Sanji groaned, "I would at least be able to say something if you were a lady."

"Hu-EEP!"

That scream...was almost cute. Almost. Maybe. Very cute for a guy at least. Not that Sanji was affected by it at a-

Thump!

Oh god. He scrambled upright, taking in the goaning figure that had just experienced an unfortunate meeting with the floorboards, "Are you alright?"

"I'm…" Sanji could have sworn that his roommate stifled a giggle. "I'm good. Just...surprised me. That's all."

"Did I say something unexpected?" He didn't think he did. Strauss would know by now just how attentively he took care of ladies. He'd tried to convince his co-worker to do the same, but was consistently ignored.

"N...no. I'm definitely not a _lady_ after all." Strauss picked himself off the floor, before decisively plonking himself right back down again. "On second thought, it might be a good idea if I stay down here while we talk. I don't want you to catch me off guard again."

Sanji found himself snorting despite his better judgment. But now he could only see Strauss' head peeking above the end of his bed. It felt weird. Way too weird. "I'll join you."

"You sure? It's probably a lot cozier up there."

"Go look in the cupboard under the mirror." Sanji sat up, toes recoiling at the sudden coolness of the floor, "There should be a couple of blankets in there." Winters were always tough when you lived in the middle of the ocean.

"Which she...oh. Never mind. Catch."

He baulked at the dark mass flying at him through the darkness, letting it hit him directly on the head.

"Nice catch." He could hear the smile in his voice.

"A bit of warning would've been nice," he grumbled as he tugged the itchy blanket off and wrapped it around him.

"I _told_ you to catch." Strauss smiled innocently, settling back on the floor opposite Sanji. "Not my fault your reflexes weren't up to scratch."

Speaking of reflexes, that make Sanji think of a new question. "How long have you trained for?"

"Oh? Now you want to know?" Sanji could vaguely make out the raised eyebrow as he crouched down and huddled his knees against him.

"Well yeah." He grinned, "You seem to like it, and I want to find out more about you, so I should ask about what you like."

"I wouldn't say I _like_ it. But…fine." Strauss sighed, shaking the end of the sentence away. "Gosh how long has it been… I think I started when I was… 3? Yeah that sounds right."

"3?!" Sanji gaped. What Zeff had said earlier was flooding back to him. Anyone would be upset if someone insulted something they've spent so much time on. The guilt was beginning to rise up again, along with something else. Memories of being forced through flaming obstacle courses, swimming across oceans, and being hammered in the face. He shuddered, and quickly moved on, "You… you seriously started fighting when you were only 3?"

Strauss froze, before turning away, "Not for fighting, no. It was training for something else."

"Something else?" What could it be? Strauss seemed made to fight, with agile steps and nimble hits. He thought back to the first fight he'd ever seen him in. How the thought that struck him the most, was the way Strauss had read the battle like…

Like a dance.

"Were you a-"

"I'm tired." Strauss declared, getting to his feet. "All this talking has worn me out. Goodnight Sanji."

Sanji stared as he watched the dark figure flip into the hammock once more, "Oh. Goodnight…"

No reply.

He silently cursed. It had all been going so well, and he just had to go and ruin it. Obviously he'd hit a sore spot. He wasn't sure why though. Dancing was relatively harmless. If that really was what Strauss had been. It had to be. It made too much sense to be anything else.

Oh well. He got up and settled himself back into his nice, warm bed. Strauss probably had his reasons. And he'd respected Sanji's past, so it would only be right that Sanji should respect his.

However much he desperately wanted to ask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo! I'm back! Sorry for not getting another chapter out for so long, I've been having a rough time recently, and haven't been motivated to write as much. Particularly for this one, since it's the weakest out of my 3 main fics. Which sucks, since I love this fic. Hopefully, this chapter is enough to sate your appetites! I will try to get another out soon, but don't hold your breath. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! Love you all :)


	4. Best foot forward

The Red Line loomed as large as ever. It had been large when she was a child, but if anything time seemed to have made it taller. The exit point for Reverse Mountain thundered down above. An impassable wall of water, impossible to sail up even if she wanted to.

The Baratie. Zeff. They were all on the other side of that wall. Right out of reach.

She turned away.

No going back. She'd made her choice, and she was going to stick to it.

"What do you mean you never met them!" Smoker flung his arm towards the shoddy paint work on the beaming whale's forehead, "That's their Jolly Roger for crying out loud!"

The lighthouse keeper, Crocus, crossed his arms, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Captain Smoker," Tashigi muttered, "Are you _sure_ that's the Straw Hat Jolly Roger…?"

Strauss wasn't so sure herself. There was definitely something in there that looked like that kid's straw hat, but nothing that remotely resembled a skull. Or was that what the pinwheel was supposed to be?

Either way, she could imagine Luffy drawing this. It had his cheerful but chaotic energy in it. A fresh coat of paint over ancient gashes and scars.

If anything, seeing that only strengthened her resolve.

"It ain't a Jolly Roger!" Crocus huffed, "Can't a man give his whale a new paint job once in a while?" He jerked his thumb towards the whale, "Look how happy it makes him."

Laboon bellowed enthusiastically.

No, they'd definitely passed through here. She just knew it. Glancing back towards Smoker's quickly reddening face, she clenched her fists. Part of her didn't want him to be the one calling the shots. Marines and Pirates never mixed well. Once the Straw Hats were found, what was he going to do to them?

On the other hand, what choice did she have?

"Look," Strauss raised her hands, "I know you're not going to tell us where they've gone, but can I just ask one quick thing?"

"I'm not saying-"

"Is their cook alright? You know the one I mean, right? Sanji? Blond hair over left eye? Spiral eyebrows and impeccable fashion sense?" She was babbling. She knew that. But the words just wouldn't stop pouring out.

Please… please...

Crocus froze, eyes narrowing under bushy eyebrows, "What's your relation to him?"

"We're friends." Her voice caught in her throat, "Good...friends. Just tell me if he's doing alright. I beg you. That's all I ask."

Please be happy…

Nobody said a word. Even Laboon realised that this wasn't a time to butt in.

Strauss' heart sank. If there was no answer, that could only mean one thing.

"I'm sorry, Strauss," Tashigi's hand patted her shoulder, voice equally twinged with regret.

"Why're you going after them?"

"Wha...?" The question took her by surprise, "Because I want to ask them something."

"Ask them what?"

"If…" For some reason, she found herself turning back towards Laboon, back towards the scars masked by all that paint. All those scars. How deep did they run? "If…"

"When they left here, they were sailing towards Whiskey Peak. If you set your Log you'll be there in no time."

The three others sat and blinked for a moment, the words not quite sinking in.

Eventually, a grin split over Smoker's face, "Great. Tashigi, ready the men. Aim to depart in 5."

"Huh? Okay then…?"

Strauss lingered behind, bowing deeply in front of the old man, "Thank you… Thank you so much…"

"If you're as good of a friend as you say you are, Miss, I hope you're going to do something about those Marines."

Strauss didn't react to the whisper, too low for the others to hear. Instead, she raised her head, eyes gleaming, "Trust me. I'm not planning on staying with them for long."

* * *

* * *

Strauss gave two firm raps on the door, "Manager Zeff? You asked for me."

"Oh for crying out loud Strauss, I've already told you that you don't need to knock! Come in already."

She winced, but turned the handle all the same, "Sorry Manager. I forgot."

"And quit the 'Manager' business." He sighed, waving a hand, "But forget all that. I didn't ask you to come up here only to give you an earful."

Now Strauss was in the room, she realised that Zeff was not alone. A young man stood before him, tall and lean, and a large suitcase fit to burst at his feet. Turning, he gave a small smile.

She dipped her head back.

"This," Zeff proclaimed, gesturing to the man, "is Dienen. Our new waiter."

"Pleasure to meet you," Dienen smiled, holding out a hand, "Please, call me Dien."

Taking it, Strauss gave it a firm shake. "Likewise."

"Dien, I'd like to introduce you to Strauss. She is one of the best wait staff we've ever had, so if you need anything, I suggest you go to her."

One of the best huh? Strauss smiled. At least that meant that she wasn't going to get laid off any time soon.

She raised an eyebrow at Zeff, "I take it you want me to show him the ropes?"

"Great!" Clapping his hands, Zeff shot to his feet, "Then I don't need to explain anything, do I? He's got an impressive repertoire, so you just need to show him round and introduce him to the chefs."

"Yes sir." She nodded, holding the door open to leave.

"Oh," he chipped in just before the door shut, "and tell the damn eggplant to get his ass back into the kitchen. He's gotten rusty enough as it is."

Right. She'd forgotten that the addition of a new staff member meant that Sanji would get back to cooking. She let out a sigh that she couldn't quite identify. She should be happy. With Sanji off the floor, there would be no more awkward apologies to couples, and no more reconcilliary desserts.

It would be great, wouldn't it?

No matter. Sanji was probably aching to get back to cooking. She could tell from how much he glared at imperfections in the other chef's dishes. Besides, it wasn't as if she would be alone on the floor. Dien seemed pleasant enough to talk to. Chances were she wouldn't notice his absence at all.

* * *

Sanji's foot tapped a frantic beat against the floorboards. Damn that Geezer. It was a Wednesday! A day off! He knew that the Shitty Geezer didn't like him and Strauss training together for some reason, but that didn't mean that he could summon Strauss out of nowhere. It left him with nothing to do.

The supply crew had already left, so he couldn't tag along with them like he normally did. He _could_ do some training… but without Strauss he didn't think he'd have the motivation to keep going. An involuntary shudder ran through him at the thought. For someone so thin, he could be really intimidating sometimes.

Right then. He pushed himself off the wall, snuffing his cigarette out on the metal tabletop. This wasn't the time to mope around. He hadn't really had the kitchen to himself recently. It'd be a good opportunity to make sure his skills were adequately honed. Perhaps he'd do some experimenting. Didn't Patty buy some weird spices a while back…?

As he descended the stairs, he caught sight of a swish of long pale grey hair. Sanji grinned. It mustn't have been anything bad if Strauss was back so soon. Now they could hang out together! "Oi Strauss! What did the shitty geezer wa-"

"This is the wine storage through here."

"I see. Which system are the bottles stored in? Name, type, or date."

He faltered. He didn't recognise that voice. Who was that. Skipping the last three steps, he whipped around the corner.

"Hm?" Strauss turned at the sound, "Oh, hey Sanji. I was wondering where you were." Gesturing back to the slim black haired man behind, "This is Dienen, the new waiter. Dien, this is Sanji our sous-chef."

Oooh! Now he remembered. Zeff _had_ mentioned that there would be an interview today. He'd just assumed that it would be another chef.

Sanji grinned. He thought it was an intruder or something. This was okay then. "Well Twinkle Toes-" he nudged his shoulder- "You'd better take good care of the ladies while I'm off the floor, ok?"

Was it just him, or did Strauss stifle a groan? "Sure thing Pretty Boy…"

"You two are really close." Dien whistled, "You two must've worked together for a long time, huh."

A long time?

Sanji and Strauss exchanged puzzled faces. How long had it been exactly since Strauss had joined?

"Three months?"

Strauss hummed, "I think it's only been one and a half."

"One and a half?!"

He thought Strauss'd been here longer than that. A lot longer. He was too comfortable to be around. But Strauss was no longer the lean malnourished person he'd once known. Now that he actually took the time to look, Strauss' arms and legs were beginning to flesh themselves out a little more, and his body already starting to go back to being toned rather than thin. Sanji thought that there might actually be some curves under that shirt now, but dismissed it as being a trick of the light.

Dienen whistled, impressed, "You must have some bond with each other then."

Sanji thought so at least. He liked Strauss. He considered his roommate as an equal. No one else on this boat knew what it was like to nearly starve. They didn't know the value of respect like Strauss did. If he could pick anyone on the Baratie to have his back during a fight (apart from the Shitty Geezer, who frankly shouldn't be fighting anyway), his answer would be Strauss without a second thought.

"Calling it a 'bond' might be a bit strong." Strauss replied before Sanji could say a word. "We are coworkers. Nothing more."

Something inside Sanji deflated at that. He had thought that Strauss would feel the same. They'd had fun eating their evening meals together, and had even spend many nights laughing under blanket piles and cushions.

If Dienen noticed Sanji's expression, he didn't react at all, "Ah, I see. My mistake. I could've sworn that you two were… well never mind."

Sanji didn't like where that sentence was going. Not in the slightest. His affection was reserved for the ladies and the ladies ONLY. In that case, they definitely did _not_ have that sort of bond. He agreed with Strauss on that one.

Best to make a swift exit.

"You guys'd better get going." He raised a hand, "If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen. I'll save you something."

Strauss rolled his eyes, "You mean we're going to be your taste testers, right?"

"And?" Crossing his arms, Sanji raised an eyebrow, "Is there a problem with that?"

He snorted, "Not really. As long as it's edible, and not too rich, I'm happy."

"Of course it'll be edible, remember who you're talking to. Should be done by the time you've done with the tour, so drop on by."

"Thanks!" Strauss waved a hand, "See you."

Dienen gave a slight bow, "It was good to meet you, Sanji."

"Good to meet you too…" Sanji trailed off as they vanished into the storage room. Something didn't feel right. He was worried, but didn't have any idea why. It wasn't as if Strauss was going to stop hanging out with him just because there was a new waiter. This guy was way older than them. But they would be spending a lot of time with each other…

Coworkers, and nothing more.

He shook his head. Cook something. Anything. Maybe a soup or a puree. For some reason, he had a very strong urge to smash something into a pulp.

* * *

"Do you like the new guy?"

Strauss cocked her head."You mean Dien? He's decent enough I guess. It's hard to tell without actually seeing him work. I can't exactly judge before then."

"No, not like that." Sanji set down his empty soup bowl on one of the flatter sections of the roof, "I meant as a _person_ , do you like him?"

"How would I know?" She stifled a yawn with her hand. It had been a long day, and all she was looking forward to was settling down into her hammock. Not being interrogated. "I've barely met the guy!"

"But what were your first impressions though?"

Geez… he was being really pushy tonight. "Why do you even want to know?"

"I just… I just…" He sighed, holding his head in his hands, "Look, don't laugh at me, okay?"

Well this was getting better and better. She definitely was not awake enough for this. "Okay. I won't laugh."

"You promise?"

"I won't!"

"Since it'll be really shitty if you do."

"I already told you that I won't, so just tell me already!"

Sanji let out a long sigh, "Fine… It's just that…" He trailed off, not quite finding the words to say.

She waited. Words were tricksy things after all. They never went where you wanted them. Trying to shove them into place never worked, that she knew all to well. And if Sanji wanted to tell her something, it must be important.

Her eyelids were drooping a little, an after effect from the catch up training she'd done. But the sharp night breeze was enough to keep her (mostly) conscious.

"Before… During the tour with the newbie… You said...uh… You said that we were just coworkers."

"Yeah?" Was he upset that she didn't call him her senior or something? She thought she made that quite obvious though.

"...Not friends?"

She blinked, more than a little bit confused. Friends? Really?

"It's just… Well I thought that we were quite close. We hang out a lot...and train together and everything… So I figured that it didn't need to be said. But I guess it was dumb of me not to consider your feelings…"

"Hold it."

Sanji froze, finally glancing up to meet her eyes, "...What?"

"Look." She sighed, pinching her nose. This was not a conversation she wanted to have half asleep in the middle of the night. Or ever for that matter. "It's not your fault. I didn't mean to react like that. I...I was just taken by surprise."

"Sorry."

"Oi." Reaching over, she flicked his shoulder. "I just said that it wasn't your fault. So don't apologise."

"So-"

"And don't say sorry for being sorry."

"...Okay."

Strauss pursed her lips. Now she was the one having difficulty figuring out what to say. Finally, she groaned, "Right, so there's no way that this can come out being anything other than completely pathetic, so hear me out."

"Hey," he nudged her, "You said you wouldn't laugh at me, so I won't laugh at you."

"Okay… So…" It hurt. Her throat was constricting in on itself from the effort of trying to say it. Who knew being embarrassed hurt so much. "I've been friend- _ly_ , I've got on well with other people just fine. But I've… never really had anyone I could call… a _friend_."

She winced just saying it. Agh! It hurt even more when it was out in the open.

Sanji slumped over.

Her face flushed with an equal mix of rage and embarrassment, "I thought you weren't going to laugh!"

"Oh thank god."

She raised an eyebrow, "Huh?" Was he trying to be mean or something?

"It's just… uh…" He chuckled weakly, drumming fingers against his chin, "Well I thought it was because you didn't like me or something, or you found me annoying. So maybe you were sick of my guts."

Oh she was. He had no idea how nauseating he could be when he sensed a female within a ten mile radius. But that was only a passing thing, and she was afraid to say that she was actually getting used to it.

"And, um, I thought I was the only one. Who never had friends, I mean."

Strauss blinked at Sanji.

Sanji blinked at Strauss.

"Pffffffffffft!"

And then they were both roaring with laughter, having to clutch onto each other to stop themselves from plunging into the sea.

"We are so pathetic!"

"I know!"

"I mean, what are the odds huh?"

"Pretty shitty!"

"Yeah!"

Eventually the giggles ceased. They had to, since at this point their chests were aching. Sighing contently, Strauss collapsed back onto the tiles. The laughter had woken her up completely. She couldn't fall asleep if she tried.

"Well. We both broke our promises about not laughing."

"Yup." She smiled, "Not that either of us were going to keep that promise."

"Yeah. You're probably right."

They didn't need a promise or a vow. They each knew what the other had decided, merely from the brush of their shoulders as they stared at the starless sky.

A friend huh? It was nice, knowing that she had someone to watch her back. But then again, Sanji had done that anyway. Maybe they were friends before, but hadn't quite figured that out. Either way, Strauss just hoped she could stay long enough for it to last.

But wait. Wasn't she forgetting something?

Right. "So why were you asking me about Dien?"

"That?" hummed Sanji. "I don't actually know. I guess I was just put off by the whole 'relationship' thing he was about to throw at us."

There went her good mood. "You noticed that too huh?" They winced at each other. Grimacing, she propped herself up onto her elbows ,"Just for the record, I, uh, don't see you as, well, _anything_ like that."

"No. No!" He bolted upright, waving his hands frantically, "Same here! I, uh, don't swing that way… y'know?"

Strange. She didn't think that Sanji of all people would prefer men. Especially considering his attitude towards women…

Oh well. There was probably a perfectly reasonable explanation for it all. And she wasn't about to start up yet another deep and meaningful topic tonight. This had already gone further than she'd expected.

"So…" He was still staring worriedly at her, "We're good?"

She shrugged, "Yeah. We're good."

"...That means you're doing the dishes, right?"

"Oh come on! I did them yesterday!"

"And I'm now officially your sous-chef, which means that I'm your senior for real this time. So go do the dishes!"

"...Extra training for you tomorrow."

"Bring it."

* * *

"No Sanji today either, dear?"

"Not today ma'am," Strauss gritted her teeth, setting the dish down in front of her. Hopefully the couple she was serving didn't notice her twitching eyebrow. Since boy was it twitching. How often had she been asked about Sanji since the WEEK he wasn't there? Too often. That's what.

She hadn't actually told the idiot yet. He'd obviously blow it all out of proportion and use it to stoke his ego. Something that she definitely did _not_ want getting any larger than it already was.

The elderly woman frowned, "Do you know when he will be back?"

Schooling her features into something that (hopefully) resembled a peaceful smile, Strauss regurgitated the same answer that she'd told all the others who had asked, "It depends on the status of our new member of staff. Until then, Sanji will be back in the kitchen preparing meals."

"A pity," the woman sighed, "You two were always so much fun to watch."

They all said that too! What exactly did that mean!?

"What're you talking about?" Her husband waggled his fork at her, "It's much more peaceful without him if you ask me. None of that pathetic womanising. How you put up with that stuff, Miss, is beyond me."

Strauss merely smiled and bowed, wishing nothing more than to move on to another table.

The tap on her shoulder made her flinch. "Strauss?"

Turning, she came face to face with Dien. He tilted his head minutely to the side.

She took the escape. "If you would excuse me; sir, ma'am. It appears that I am needed."

"Oh of course!" They waved her away, "It's our fault for taking up so much of your time!"

"My apologies." Dien dipped politely, "I do hope you enjoy your meal."

As soon as they were out of view, Strauss slumped back against the wall, "This is getting ridiculous."

"You're telling me," Dien sweated, "You think I enjoy people talking about how much they want me to get fired?"

Ouch. She patted his back, "Don't take it personally. He's just been around for a long time. People've grown attached to him." Although she hadn't expected just how popular he was. But customers came to see the fighting chefs, she figured, so maybe they saw his behaviour as a performance. It wasn't entertaining in the slightest on the receiving end though. Thank goodness she'd never actually been there herself. Otherwise he would've gotten a delightful pair of black eyes.

Bang!

They sat up. That sounded like it came from the front door.

A raid.

Strauss shot to her feet, grimacing, "I thought it'd been a while."

"A while for what? Oi! Strauss!"

She ignored him, already vaulting over the banister and landing lightly on the dining room floor.

The pirate captain smirked at her, "Good. We finally get some service. Go be a good girl and bring out everything in your cash register."

She rolled her eyes. Why were they always so rude. Did they honestly think that just because listening to customers was in her job description that she'd blindly obey anyone who walked in? "Excuse me sir," Strauss flexed her fingers, "but I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."

Apparently they found that amusing, judging by the number of smirks the pirates were giving her.

"Strauss…"

Good. Dien was here. At least now she had some back up.

"Don't aggravate them. It'll be bad if they get angry."

She froze. Hang on a minute. "Diener, can you fight?"

"Don't be ridiculous, a waiter doesn't fight."

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, getting louder and louder with every passing second. It was fine. She could deal with this. Yeah. Of course she could. She'd fought people before.

"Dien. Step back. Go to the kitchen and tell them what's going on."

She could handle these guys herself for the time being. She must.

"C'mon now." Damn. She'd taken too long. Now a gun was being waved around. "What's the hold up? Just gi' us the money already."

Guns were always problematic. Sword slashes she could predict. Bullet trajectories, she couldn't. The customers who were once eagerly leaning forward for the fight shied back. Not that she could really blame them.

Part of her wanted to agree with Dienen. It would be so much easier to just let them take the cash and run. But she couldn't. The Baratie had a reputation to uphold.

Which meant that she had a job to do.

Flipping onto her hands, Strauss slammed her foot into the base of the captain's jaw. This was no time to exchange witty quips for the customers' entertainment. There was a fine line between amusing and dangerous, and it was already wavering quickly. Feeling the cold metal beneath her fingers, she snatched up the gun and tossed it into the sea. One problem down. So many more to go.

Faster.

She didn't wait to see the effect of her attack. Wrapping her legs around the nearest pirate, she flipped herself upright and used him as a support to swing her legs outwards.

Faster!

He tried to grab her, but she latched onto him first. Grunting, she twisted his arm round until she heard a familiar crack. As he bellowed in pain, she kicked him towards his companions and sent them flying like many misshaped bowling pins.

FAST-!

Bang!

Heat spread through her lower chest, blazing hot and freezing cold simultaneously. Her body screamed. Gritting her teeth, she hoisted herself off the ground (when had she fallen?) and pressed onwards.

"Don't panic," she hissed under her breath, "Just because you've been shot, Strauss, it doesn't mean that you're beat. You can do this."

Ignore the needles that were tingling through her torso. Ignore how much effort it took to suck in a breath of air. Ignore how her shirt was starting to be glued to her skin by something too thick to be water.

Ignore it all.

Multiple pairs of eyes bore into her back. Worried eyes. Excited eyes. But mostly expectant eyes. They wanted to know that they were going to be safe. How scared would they be if they knew that the person protecting them was injured?

They needed a hero to rely on.

She turned back to the pirates, silently begging that the one who'd shot her would be blatantly obvious.

One of the less scraggly members yelped, gun trembling in his hand. A youth, who obviously wasn't used to firing one just yet. She took a step forwards. He flinched.

So it was him.

"If you may." She held out her hand, staggering slightly to the side because of... IGNORE IT!

The weapon clattered to the ground. Strauss sighed. The least he could do was hand it to her. It didn't hurt as she bent over. Not in the slightest. She didn't want to scream her lungs out. No. It was fine. No need to panic. But it was agony… IGNORE IT DAMMIT!

Gun in her hand, she straightened. Cocking her head, she wrapped her hand around the unfamiliar thing. It was still warm, heated by the latest shot it had fired. How disgusting.

"Leave, and maybe I won't shoot."

The pirates whimpered.

She'd never held a gun, let alone fired one. And she wasn't planning to actually shoot someone obviously. But these idiots didn't need to know that, did they.

She gestured the gun barrel once more. "Go on. Even my patience has a limit, and it is being strained as we speak."

As one they sprinted for the door, pushing past each other in an effort to escape. Strauss did nothing, arm still raised to the door. She didn't let it tremble, despite how much it desperately wanted to. There were people watching. They weren't allowed to notice.

Her performance wasn't over yet.

It was only after their ship was a dot on the horizon that she let her arm hang limp by her side. Cool metal brushed against her hip. She cocked her head. Right, the gun. Without a second thought, she flicked it into the sea. She didn't want anything to do with that thing.

No one had spoken yet. The hush still hung over the restaurant, waiting for the confirmation that it was over.

Rolling her shoulders, Strauss smiled. Hand over her heart, she dipped into a bow, "Please excuse the uproar. I hope you enjoy your meal."

"YAHOOOOOOO!"

Guests bounced up from their seats, joining the others in rounds of boisterous applause, whoops, and whistles. They were happy. No one had realised the truth, just assuming that the blood on her shirt wasn't her own. Just as she'd planned.

She kept smiling, waving away the praise and compliments. "Please, if you don't mind I would very much like to go and clean myself up a little."

With choruses of 'Of course', 'Take your time', and 'Yeah, you stink', she made her way towards the staircase. In her path Dienen remained in the exact position he had been since the very beginning, slack jawed and not even bothering to hide it.

He knew. She could tell by how his eyes were trained in horror on that red patch on her stomach. "Can you handle things down here," she murmured while she passed him.

He nodded, struck too dumb to say a word.

"Thanks."

It took both an eternity and a few seconds to climb just one set of stairs. Gawking, Strauss groaned up at the second flight. She wasn't sure she could make it up those as well. But she had to. She had to work. She couldn't get fired now.

"Strauss! Finally!"

Was that Sanji? It sounded like him, but she couldn't actually make him out. In fact, she couldn't make out anything right now. Everything was blurring together into a mass of goey colour.

"We were waiting for you, since you haven't sent in any new orders or collected the old ones… Hang on, is that...is that blood?!"

And now the floor was swimming beneath her feet. Strauss grimaced. She wasn't going to make it up those stairs, was she.

"Is that... _YOUR_ BLOOD! Shit shit shit shit... ZEFF! GET OUT HERE! YEAH IT'S IMPORTANT!"

"Sanji?"

"Strauss! Can you hear me? Never mind, stay with me Strauss, you hear!?"

"You'd better fucking catch me."

And that was when her legs finally gave out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've had people messaging me saying that they're so glad that Strauss has figured it out. You all are giving her way too much credit... Do you think she'd actually notice? It's a little sad actually.
> 
> Anywho, hope you like the chapter! I'm getting into the flow of this now, but I'm not promising regular updates. Sorry. It's what I get for having multiple stories (and possibly planning something original that is obviously never going to be written but oh well). But I'm invested now, so I'm definitely not going to give it up anytime soon.
> 
> Thanks for all your comments and reviews! I'm genuinely not kidding when I say that a single positive comment makes my entire day so much better. You guys are awesome, and I hope you know that.
> 
> Stay safe and happy


	5. The china girl

Her head finally breached the surface of the water. Strauss gasped, mostly from the effort of supporting the limp man than from the swim. She hadn't been planning on having a swim so soon after that crazy patch of weather, but after spotting the figure floating amongst the burning wreckage she just couldn't help herself. Sanji had told her it was a bad habit, which was rich coming from someone who would do the exact same.

"Is he… Is he alive?" Tashigi asked as he was hoisted to the deck. A valid question in Strauss' opinion. The number of burn marks made it hard to tell what was skin and what was clothing. Whatever this guy had gone through, it couldn't have been pleasant.

"We'll find out soon," the ship's doctor muttered, gloved hands already snipping open the singed patches of clothing. Strauss hadn't bothered learning his name. Other than Smoker and Tashigi, the others didn't really seem to want to get to know her. Why would she befriend people who didn't want to befriend her.

After a particularly stressful period of CPR, the curly haired man finally coughed up a horrible mix of sick and water. "Ala...basta," he murmured before anyone could begin to speak, "I need...to get to Alabasta..."

"You were just found unconscious in the waters of Cactus Island." Smoker crossed his arms, "Proper identification is needed before you can make demands."

Tashigi slapped him on the shoulder. Not paying attention to the glare boring into her back, she knelt down next to the trembling man and gave a reassuring smile, "Ignore him. Please, tell us what happened."

"No." He sat up, much to the protests of the doctor and Tashigi, "Please excuse me for being so improper." Attempting to bow, he only managed a slight dip of the head, "I am Igaram, Captain of the Alabasta Royal Guard. Now, if you could be so kind as to lend me a ship, I really need to get to Alabasta as soon as possible."

"N-no! That's impossible!" Tashigi declared, "You are not in a fit state to travel alone."

"I must!" His fists clenched, "It is to prevent the destruction of our country. Otherwise Croco...Crocodile will…" Eyes rolling back into his head, Igaram slumped back against the deck.

"What happened!" Smoker demanded the doctor.

The poor man gulped, hastily checking Igaram's pulse, "It's nothing," he eventually sighed, "He fainted from stress and fatigue. A perfectly natural response to someone in his situation."

The crew let out a large sigh of relief. Nobody was quite ready for someone to die on them so early on.

"Sir," Tashigi muttered, "We're going to help him...aren't we?"

Smoker's teeth ground into his cigars so passionately that Strauss was amazed he hadn't bitten through them already. Not that she could blame him honestly. Having to be torn between his duty as a Marine and his duty to his pride couldn't be easy. She'd felt something similar to that before, while making a decision that she'd now grown to regret. Even though it was the right one.

She had a decision to make now too. One not such as difficult as Smoker's, but an important one nevertheless.

It was a pity she wasn't the person she used to be. Then she would have willingly accepted whatever Smoker decided, even if it meant hindering her own goals.

Turning on her heel, she made her way back to her bunkroom.

She was far more selfish now.

* * *

* * *

"No! You are not getting out of that bed!"

"Oh yes I am! I can't sit here and do nothing!"

"YOU WERE FUCKING SHOT!"

"Yes and I'm perfectly fine. It's not like I'm being paid to sit around and do nothing."

"Do I need to say it again; _YOU WERE FUCKING SHOT, STRAUSS_!"

"AND I WILL REPEAT WHAT I JUST SAID; _I'M FINE_!"

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE! YOU ONLY JUST STOPPED BLEEDING!"

"JUST?! THAT WAS HALF A DAY AGO!"

Zeff groaned, thumping his head on his desk for what felt like the billionth time that day. Damn those kids. How long were they going to keep up this little screaming match. They were going to give him a headache. It was just as well he'd decided to close the restaurant today. Otherwise all their customers would be scared away.

"JUST GET BACK IN THE BED!"

"NO!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE!"

"ME?! WHAT ABOUT YOU?!"

A vein bulged in Zeff's forehead. He couldn't take it anymore. He had been up all night filling out the stupid paperwork that he normally had to do every time there was a raid, and then he had to deal with the doctor's bill for Strauss' injury (thankfully there was a doctor taking his girlfriend on a dinner date, otherwise that would've been even more expensive), AND then his newest member of staff, who had only been there a week might he add, had resigned! So he was _not_ in the mood for any of this stupid mayhem!

"CAN THE BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!" he bellowed, almost kicking their door off its hinges.

Strauss and Sanji paled, frozen mid action. If he had to hazard a guess, Sanji was trying to force Strauss back onto the bed using both hands and a leg, while Strauss was contorting herself into every position possible to try and avoid him. But boy did they look suspicious. If anyone hadn't heard that damn caterwauling, there would have be one hell of a misunderstanding.

Normally Zeff would have found all of this wildly entertaining, but right now he just did not care. Not when he had less than a single hour of sleep last night. He raised a hand at the still swinging door, "Sanji. Out."

"But-"

"OUT!"

"Yessir!" Straightening his collar, Sanji all but bolted from the room and slammed the door behind him.

That was part of the problem sorted. Zeff sighed, feeling the anger slowly seep away now that one half of that blasted noise had gone.

"Sorry about that," Strauss sheepishly murmured, smoothing out her shirt, "I shall get back to wo-"

Now he had to deal with the source.

"You." He waved a hand. "Bed."

He was so relieved when she didn't protest, and instead swang her legs back onto the mattress. Although...he couldn't help but notice that she was on top of the bedding rather than underneath it. Perhaps it was because it was Sanji's bed and not her own.

Bah. As if that was it. The kid was just too stubborn for her own good.

But now that he was here, there was something that Zeff felt that he had to do. A thought that he'd had late last night, and the main reason why he couldn't sleep after seeing her unconscious in Sanji's arms yesterday.

There was a chair by the bed. Probably where Sanji had fallen asleep last night while waiting for Strauss to wake up. A twinge of guilt shot through him. The eggplant wouldn't like what he was about to do. But he would understand, as soon as Zeff explained himself. He'd have to understand…

Strauss cocked her head, "Is there something you want to-"

"Perhaps you are unsuited to work at the Baratie."

Those eyes. Widened with a deadly mix of shock and downright helplessness. He felt his heart clench just looking at them. One would think that this hurt her more than the actual wound on her stomach did. Judging by how she acted yesterday, this actually might be more painful.

"It's nothing personal." Zeff resisted the urge to look away. He couldn't be swayed now. No matter how much he pitied her. "It's just that I have had a...re-evaluation of my morals since yesterday."

"It's okay."

Why...why was she smiling? She should be upset. Maybe even crying, even though he couldn't imagine her crying in the slightest.

She just lowered her head, "I did think this might happen. After I was so careless yesterday."

Careless? _Careless_?! If anything she did an exemplary job! The customers didn't even realise that there was anything wrong, and even asked him why their hero hadn't returned from upstairs. He should be rewarding her, but here he was. Firing her instead. How heartless could he be...

No! He grimaced, resisting the urge to pull on his moustache. What was he thinking? Was he getting sentimental in his old age? Bah! That wouldn't do. No matter what, he had to sever ties with this girl. He had to press on. Before something changed his mind.

"I told you before. I was always uncomfortable with you dealing with pirates. It goes against my moral code to see a lady being hurt." He didn't need reasons at this point. She was ready to leave without them. But he just didn't want her to misunderstand, "I thought it would be fine… but yesterday obviously proved that wrong."

"Can I ask you something. Before I…" Her voice caught in her throat. One of the few signs she'd shown so far that indicated that she was the slightest bit upset about leaving. "Before I go I mean."

"What is it about ladies that you guys are so fascinated by?"

He blinked, "I...I'm sorry?"

"Sanji mentioned it once." Zeff wasn't even sure she was talking to him. She was mumbling so quietly he had to strain to hear her. "He said that I'd be easier to talk to if I was a lady."

Zeff's jaw drop, "So...so you knew that he thought you were-"

"I know I'm not a lady...but I didn't realise it was such a big deal to be one."

...What?

"Hang on." He pinched his brow, "I thought you were female…"

The disappointed expression dropped from her face for a moment, "I _am_ a female...I'm a girl. Are you making a joke to try and make this easier for me, since if so I'm grateful but please don't."

Okay… Now Zeff was confused. Maybe that was an understatement. He was downright baffled. Perplexed. Discombobulated. And maybe more.

"I'm not a lady though." She snorted weakly, "Not even close."

All of the little speech Zeff had prepared about how this was 'for her own good' and how he was 'just as upset as she was' simply disappeared. This girl was broken. He'd known that from their very first meeting, but he hadn't realised just how deep the cracks ran. "Why," he found himself asking despite his better judgment, "Why aren't you a lady?"

Her hands clenched on the bedspread. "Isn't it obvious? I'm just… _not_. A lady is polite. Refined even. They float above everything so gracefully, like it isn't even worth their time. They never give in to negative emotions like anger or rage and they're always kind to everyone no matter what they've previously done. They're delicate, like a flower. So delicate that they fight with words rather than fists." Her face fell. "They've never had to worry about when their next meal is going to be."

Zeff couldn't say anything. He wanted to, but didn't know what would be the right thing. If he said something wrong now, she might clam up and never bring this up again. Part of the reason she was saying anything at all was probably because she was still reeling from the after effects after loosing blood. For someone that thin, every pint counted.

"I'll be honest here, you don't know me all that well. But even then you should already know that I'm nothing like that. I mean, look at me." She lifted the hem of her shirt to reveal the many layers medical gause wrapped around her waist, the rust brown mark still managing to show through, "I got shot during a fight. And I've had worse before. A true lady wouldn't get themselves in such a terrible situation like that."

He should stop her now. No, he had to stop her now. But for some reason, he couldn't. He just sat there, listening to the pain in her voice. Or rather, the lack of it. It was as if she'd expected to be discarded like this.

"And the past couple of years…" she winced. "Just trust me when I say that they haven't been pretty. So, does that really sound like a lady to you? Since it doesn't for me."

He didn't doubt that. He didn't doubt that in the slightest. That was one of the reasons he was ready to hire Strauss in the first place. Because she reminded him of himself and that eggplant. The three of them weren't identical, it would be a mistake to say that, but they were definitely similar. Similar enough to understand each other's agony.

But even so, just what could have happened to make someone this jaded about something so trivial?

To Zeff, there was no difference between 'woman' and 'lady. None at all. They were synonymous. Every woman deserved to be cherished as a lady, and so a lady they were. He'd never even considered that there were actual _conditions_ to be met. Besides, what Strauss had set out to be a lady was more like an actual angel rather than anything else. Divine, perfect, and downright unobtainable.

Although it didn't sound like she was hoping to obtain it to begin with.

Damn. He was so confused. The eggplant was enough work to take care of, and now this?! Did they think this was a charity or something?! But this couldn't be ignored. Strauss was too good of a worker to be let go now.

He was too tired for this. Now that was something he could wholeheartedly agree on. Far too tired. Give him a good rest, and perhaps a day working, and maybe then he would deal with it. Maybe.

Was there anything to actually deal with? Not really (apart from the apparent confidence issues, the dependance on working, the rock bottom self esteem, and whatever shit that kid had to deal with in their past). So...he didn't actually have to do anything did he? No! He was her boss, not her therapist. It wasn't his problem.

But if he maybe took her to a salon or something…

A knock on the door jolted him out of his thoughts.

"Uh…" Sanji poked his head through the crack, "I'm...I'm sorry about yelling earlier, Strauss. I was just...um...really...worried about you."

She blinked, "...huh?"

"WellSinceYouWereShotIKindaThoughtYouMightDieButIDon'tWantYouToSoHere'sSomeSoup…"

Dear lord if that boy went any redder he'd melt into the floor. But...It was nice to see him care so openly about someone he was close to for once. Even if he was getting way too embarrassed about it. Smiling, Zeff let out a long sigh and got up from the chair with a crack. Ah! Grimacing he rubbed his aching back. Damn old age. It always came back to bite him in the ass.

Reaching out, he tugged the duvet out from underneath Strauss' body and let it fall on top of her.

"H-hey!" She flailed, finally remembering the reason for that argument to begin with.

"Just stay in bed," Zeff chuckled limply, "We're not open today, so what were you planning on doing all day?"

"Training…?"

He clicked his tongue. Typical. "As your manager, I'm ordering you to stay in bed and rest. I don't want my employees dying on me because they were too stubborn to let themselves heal up."

Her mouth dropped open, "When you say employees, do you mean...?"

"Forget what I said earlier," he waved his hand to dismiss the guilt pooling inside of him, "It was just to test your...loyalty and devotion to the Baratie."

That sounded so weak even Sanji was raising a suspicious eyebrow to question it. Zeff was sure Strauss didn't believe a word of it. Though...it was hard to tell since the realisation that she wasn't actually fired had apparently drained the girl of energy.

It was time he left. Moving for the door, he paused for a moment to look back on those two idiot brats of his, "Oi Sanji. Make sure Twinkle Toes stays in bed, yeah?"

"No need to ask me that," Sanji smirked, the dip of his head the only affirmation he could do when holding a tray, "Just leave it to me!"

"And stay quiet this time," he chuckled as he finally closed the door.

How odd. He had started that conversation with the full expectation of sending her packing. So why was he feeling so relieved that she had opened up to him? Glancing towards the door once more, he gently pried off the name plate that had been nailed there ever since the place was built and stroked his finger over the childlike scrawl written across it.

'Sanji's room. Shitty geezers keep out or else.'

Maybe the time had come for a replacement. It had been long enough after all. 8 years in fact.

He marched off, making sure to not crumble the aged wood in his hands.

"Those damn brats. They have no idea how much work they give me."

* * *

She wasn't going to be fired.

Laying back onto the pillows, she blinked up at the ceiling.

_She wasn't going to be fired._

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! SHE WASN'T GOING TO BE FIRED EVEN THOUGH SHE MESSED UP! EVERYTHING'S GREAT!_

Strauss was certain that she would have been let go as soon as she'd woken up with those bandages on her. Employers hated spending additional money on their grunts. A medical fee was practically a termination paper. So...wow. She'd really thought that she would have to find something else for a moment there.

She wasn't ready to leave her new home just yet.

"Oi, open up." Sanji tapped the spoon on her forehead, "You're gonna eat this. I made it specially for you after all."

Snapping back to her senses, she reached for the spoon, "Of course I'm going to eat it, it smells incredible." So incredible that her stomach was already rumbling.

But he moved his hand back, "Oh no you don't. I'll feed you, you're injured after all."

Her forehead ticked. What was he on about? "My arm's perfectly okay. I can feed myself fine."

"I told Zeff I'd take care of you, so I'm going to take care of you. Now open wide."

She glared at him. "I can do it."

"I'm not backing down you know."

Yes. She did know. Damn his stubbornness. But...it just felt so weird to have people _do_ things for her. Especially her employer and her senior. So weird. Normally she'd be the one doing things for them, even if she was sick.

"Fine." She scooted back a little so she could sit upright, "There's no catch to this, right?"

Sanji cocked his head, "Catch? Why would there be? I'm doing this because I want to."

"Didn't Manager Zeff just tell you to take care of me?"

"Yeah," he gently set down the tray on her lap, "But I wanted to before then. I went and made this for you, didn't I?"

It should be a crime for something to smell that delicious. Her stomach gurgled with glee.

He chuckled, "As vocal as ever."

"Shut up and feed me already."

Now that the shock had properly worn off, there was something in that conversation that was a little...off. Zeff seemed to think that she knew something she actually didn't. Something about Sanji. Or at least she though it was. Zeff had looked so shocked after she'd mentioned his name.

'So you knew that he thought you were…'

That she was what?! This was frustrating.

The soup was so damn good though… And she had to admit, it was nice to be cared for. Once in a while at least.

Hang on. Don't get distracted by Sanji's amazing cooking, Strauss. Let's work back.

They were talking about what it was to be a lady. Her brow knitted. That had always been a touchy topic for her. Especially in the past couple of years. Ever since Mother…

Not now! Later! Or better still, NEVER!

So they were talking about what it was to be a lady. Yeah, that was it. And then she told Zeff about when Sanji had said that she'd be easier to talk to if she was a lady. But Zeff and Sanji both had the same sort of idea of what a lady was. They were quite close after all.

So why did Zeff think she was a lady, and Sanji didn't?

Oh.

Strauss gulped.

Ooooooooooooooh.

It couldn't be. It was absolutely ridiculous. Impossible. Sanji was smarter than that...wasn't he?

She snuck a glance towards him.

"Ah…" He sighed, "If only I was feeding a blonde haired beauty right now…Or a dark haired one… Or a red head..." He wasn't even focusing on her! Where was he looking, the ceiling?! And she did _not_ like that sleazy expression on his face.

So yes. Perhaps he wasn't that smart.

But even so, she couldn't actually believe that he thought...he thought she was…

A guy?!

A little inkling of her was incredulous. How rude could he get? Yes, she might be... _underdeveloped_ for a female, and was only just starting to get curves and breasts, but still! She had been malnourished! How could he not realise! Especially when everyone else knew full well! Patty had once asked her about her cycle so he knew when to make comfort food. That hadn't gone well...Maybe she should stop thinking about that awkward incident.

Strauss mainly just wanted to enjoy her soup.

It was very good soup. It was creamy and eggy and delicious and…salty and...creamy... Just very delicious. She wasn't quite used to actually naming all these amazing flavours yet.

Mistaking her gender wasn't such a major issue after all. She didn't really care what she was perceived as. As long as it meant that she could work, she was perfectly fine with it. Being mistaken as a man had happened before, but then she'd actually been trying to pose as one. It was really weird that he didn't see that she was female.

But it wasn't right to keep lying to him. He deserved the truth, and she didn't want to deceive him over something as stupid as gender.

Even if it would change his behaviour around her. She wasn't an idiot. Once Sanji finally accepted that she was female, he would treat her like all of the others. And...she didn't want that. She liked their relationship the way it was, with all the bickering and impromptu fights. She didn't want to be treated like a china doll like he treated all the other women. It would be...so depressing.

Perhaps she was wrong. It was such a massive thing to suddenly decide after all. And Sanji was...not always an idiot.

"Hey."

He raised his head and glared at her, "A black haired beauty was about to declare her undying love for me as thanks for saving her chameleon, so it'd better be important."

Wha…? Just what went on in that pervy head of his? Actually… She shuddered. Strauss didn't want to find out the answer to that one in the slightest. She didn't want nightmares.

"Well...I was just wondering how you saw me." She had to phrase this right, since if she just went out and asked directly and she was _wrong_ , things would get way too awkward for comfort.

"Hm?" Sanji set down the now empty bowl and waved his X rated daydreams away. Frowning, he reached forwards to rest a hand on her forehead.

She glared at him, "I'm not feverish."

"No...it doesn't seem like you are." Retrieving his hand, he grinned, "That would be one thing too many."

"Pft. Too right it would be…"

"But still," he pouted, "In case you've forgotten, we're already said that we were friends."

"Oh...not like that I mean. But as a... _person_ , how do you see me?"

How long could she keep skirting around it before it was blatantly obvious?

"Wow you really must've lost a lot of blood if you're asking me that."

She really wasn't in the mood for this. Huffing, she crossed her arms, "Just answer the question."

"If it'll make you shut up, then sure." Sanji hummed and stroked his chin, "Well...quite frankly you're a dumbass who got themselves shot and now I despise you."

Keep calm… Manager Zeff told you to stay in bed...so you should stay in bed… Don't hit him, despite how much he _absolutely deserves it_!

"Okay okay!" He gulped at her murderous glare, "I'll stop the jokes. I just...wanted to cheer you up. That's all."

Was she getting a headache? She groaned, massaging her temples. Yup she was getting a headache. Dammit. She just wanted an answer already.

"Now seriously. I think that although you can be pretty annoying sometimes, you're really cool too. So...yeah."

Why was this so hard?! It would be so much easier if she could just ask if he thought she was like a sibling or something, but he got so wound up last time when she mentioned his family that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to bring it up.

"Why're you so interested in this?" He cocked his head suspiciously, "You normally don't care what people think of you. Are you up to something?"

"Weeeeell…" What to do what to do. Ah! Got it! "One of the customers told me that they thought we were in a relationship, so I was just curious."

Thank you Dienen! It was a pity he resigned. But she couldn't exactly do anything about it.

"Gah!" He flopped forwards, head burrowing into the bedspread, "It's all that stupid waiter's fault! I never liked him."

Personally she'd thought he was quite nice. More considerate than Sanji at least. Less competent though.

Turning, he blinked his blue-gray eyes lazily at her, "For the final time, my heart is for the ladies only. I don't _do_ guys. Not at all, not ever. No offence or anything."

…

So she was right.

Ah.

…

Well...at least now she knew for certain.

The problem now remained; what should she do about it. Tell him and have their entire relationship flipped on its head, or keep it a secret and ruin their friendship when he inevitably found out.

It wasn't much of a choice. But her heart fell heavy as she finally opened her mouth, "Sanji."

"What is it now?"

"...You think I'm male...am I correct?"

Frowning, he slowly sat up, "I mean...yeah? What else could you be?"

A lump caught in her throat. She was going to miss their arguments. Their training sessions. Their meals on the rooftop. It was all going to change now.

"Well… you're wrong."

He blinked, confused.

"I'm… I'm sorry?"

"I'm not male-"

"Ha ha ha funny joke, Strauss," he chuckled somewhat nervously, patting her head as he stood up, "You've lost a lot of blood. It's time you get some rest."

"I'm _not_ joking, Sanji." She frowned, "I'm female. A girl."

"Yeah yeah… You really need to go get some sleep. I'll...I'll leave you alone for a bit. Goodnight!"

"I'm being serious. I'm not a guy! I don't have a di-"

"GOODNIGHT STRAUSS!"

Slam!

Staring at the quivering door, Strauss sighed. It would sink in soon enough. He had been so flustered that he must have realised it deep down. If he didn't...then there was no excuse this time. Not when she'd told him directly. All she had do so now, was wait.

Now that he'd mentioned it though, she thought as she snuggled under the heavy covers, she was actually quite tired. It might actually be a good idea to get some sleep while she could.

"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO SHUT YOUR WAILING YOU DAMN EGGPLANT!"

"A … She's a… A g-g-g… A GIRL?!"

A bead of sweat rolled down her face.

On second thought, that might be impossible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty! That's one meaty chapter, which actually took very little time to write. Strange. If only I had more time to update... That'd be nice.
> 
> So that's a little explanation on why Strauss didn't figure out sooner, but I was always planning on them figuring this out early on. Especially since there are more important issues still left to come. Hopefully you like it!
> 
> Stay safe everyone!


	6. Shattered nerves

"Are you sure about this?" Tashigi frowned.

Strauss nodded, slinging her pack onto her shoulder, "Perfectly. From what that man was saying, there's serious trouble brewing in Alabasta. You need to head there as soon as possible."

"But…" She faltered, her entire attention on her twiddling thumbs, "Are you sure you can't come with us?"

Strauss resisted the urge to snort. How naive. Did she honestly think that they would continue to travel together forever. This was a fixed arrangement. It always had been. She would always have had to leave at some point.

And quite frankly, Strauss couldn't wait to get out of there.

"No," she finally replied, "I told you; I'm chasing a pirate crew. I can't take any risks with the route I'm taking. It's important to follow their path exactly."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Smoker grimaced. He probably wouldn't be too happy about this. Strauss knew full well that he only offered that deal because he thought of her as a source of information. But he didn't have control over her. He couldn't stop her if he tried. "You have a Log Pose?"

"No, but I'll probably be fine. There's probably one or two around here somewhere." She'd scavenged for trinkets before. It probably wouldn't be that different. Hopefully they weren't cracked. Hopefully...

He groaned, pinching his nose, "How reckless can you get…? Just take ours."

Her eyes bulged, "N-no I can't do that! You already gave me a boat,  _ and _ food and water!"

"Look. We have an Eternal Pose from Igaram. Once we get to Alabasta, I'll put in a request for a new one Log. It's nothing, so take it."

Her gut still told her to refuse, but her mind made a better argument. Hand faltering, she reached out and strapped the instrument around her wrist. She didn't like it. It was large and bulbous, and most dangerously, fragile. She would have to be careful fighting with a dainty thing like this on her.

Yet what other choice did she have.

The Marines were going to leave before her. The wake from a ship that large would disrupt her dingy, so it was safer for her to wait a little. Not ideal, but she appreciated the concern.

"Oi, Strauss," Smoker barked as she set her pack down in the little boat, "Catch."

She tracked the object with her eyes as it flew through the air, only barely raising her hand to catch it. "A transponder snail?" She asked, somewhat confused.

"It's a direct line to mine." He nodded in begrudging respect, "If you ever find yourself in a tricky situation, just call."

"Oh…" she said feebly, turning the snail over to look at its beady little eyes, "Thanks I guess?"

He stifled a laugh, "I know you might not trust me, especially since your friend is a pirate, but you seem like a good kid, Strauss." His eyes narrowed, "I just hope you pick the right path."

She took the threat and smiled with it, "Oh I will. Don't you worry."

Sitting on the shore, she continued watching the ship until it had vanished over the horizon. As soon as she was certain that it had gone, she clicked her tongue at the snail.

Honestly. Did Smoker think he could trick her? What sort of transponder snail had their eyes open if they weren't on a call? Sorry, but she was too paranoid to not notice a simple thing like that. This was probably for surveillance, so he could monitor where the Straw Hat crew were once she found them.

As if she'd let him.

Raising her arm above her head, prepared to cast the snail out into the water. But, despite her better judgement, she hesitated. The snail looked so...innocent. It didn't deserve to die because of the job it served.

It took a moment, and many foul curses, but eventually she managed to prise away the rig from the snail shell. The snail wriggled gleefully, finally free after however long it had been serving. Strauss chuckled, "I know that feeling, little guy."

A small smile still lingered on her face even after letting it go away from the shoreline. But she couldn't watch it forever. She'd waited long enough.

"Now then," she hummed at the Log and the tiny leather strap that dangled on her arm below it, "I can't wait to see just what crazy path you've taken, you stupid pretty boy."

* * *

* * *

Out of all of Sanji's ideas, this was definitely not one of his best. Sleeping outside was a terrible idea at the best of times, and sleeping outside when it was raining was downright idiotic. Not that he was actually planning on sleeping.

He didn't think he could sleep right now.

Ideally, he would like to smoke. It calmed him. More than that, he practically relied on the things to make him relax. Just having a soggy unlit cigarette between his lips worked wonders on his nerves.

Although even this small relief wasn't enough to untangle the mess in his brain.

He didn't want to go back to his room. Where Stra...where he…where  _ she _ ...

"Uuuuh…" He moaned, clutching his head. What was going on? Had the world suddenly gone mad? 

Strauss was a girl! A GIRL!! An actual female girl!!

Why why why why why WHY?! He had had doubts! Oh yes! He remembered very clearly multiple times when he'd thought that Strauss had seemed remarkably feminine, only to dismiss it almost instantly. If only he hadn't been so goddamn oblivious.

Oh Strauss... he was so sorry. So very sorry. He hadn't treated her right. If anything, he'd treated her appallingly. He hadn't been considerate in the slightest. He'd teased her. He'd argued with her. Hell, he'd even kicked her during one of their sparring matches.

His heart sank even lower into his chest.

He'd actually attacked a woman. Intentionally. That went against everything he ever stood for. Everything he'd vowed to uphold. Zeff… Reiju… Mom… The ones Sanji cherished beyond all others. He'd failed them all. 

He'd failed.

Hang on a second. Sanji bolted upright. Wasn't Zeff against the training from the very beginning?

A vein popped in his forehead. So that geezer  _ knew _ . He actually knew, and didn't tell him?! How...how could he? He knew full well what that would mean to him. After all, Zeff was the one who'd fermented that respect for women in him.

Zeff wouldn't want to hurt a lady either...would he.

It didn't make sense. It made absolutely no sense! Why would Zeff allow something like this?! Why had he even accepted Sanji's decision to share a room with her…

Oh god.

_ HE'D SHARED A ROOM WITH A GIRL!? WILLINGLY!!! _

Ignoring the rain soaking through his shirt, he thumped his head against the wall behind him.

How! Stupid! Could! He! Get!?

How could he share a room with a lady?! It was just...AAARGH! He ruffled his hair. There were no words. No words could do this shitty situation justice. This was a mess. A big, convoluted mess. In some strange way (which Sanji hated himself for thinking), this was worse than breaking his promise to not harm a lady. He had  _ shared a room with her _ . A lady couldn't share a room with a man! It was...it was...unheard of! He couldn't call himself a true gentleman with that breach of etiquette. Not to mention the numerous embarrassing instances she'd seen him in.

She'd seen his bed head. She'd seen him groom his eyebrows. And she'd even, although now that he thought about it she'd always turned away, seen him change.

The dark waters of the sea glinted a pale shade of silver in the moonlight.

Sanji was struck by a sudden desire to make a swan dive off the edge of the balcony. It was too far to properly jump, but maybe the injury he'd receive on the way down would make him forget about this entire thing. Since boy did he want to forget.

No. He slapped his face with both hands. He couldn't ignore this. This was his own mistake, he couldn't back out of it now. It wasn't fair on Strauss.

Sighing, he stared blankly at the rain as it pattered off the deck. Right. He obviously wasn't the only one torn up about this. What was poor Strauss feeling about all this. She'd opened up to him, and he'd just gone and ran out on her like that. She must be devastated. How could he do that to her. How could he behave like that.

No. He knew full well why. He just didn't want to admit it.

"So this was where you were."

His head jerked up, the bright light almost blinding him as it streamed in through the open door. But he knew that silhouette anywhere, "Stra...Strauss _ -san _ …"

It felt foreign. Wrong even. Even though it was only right for him to say.

"Well," she sighed, closing the door and slumping down next to him, "I see that it finally got through to you."

"You… are a girl."

"Yup. I'm female."

"...ah."

She said nothing, merely tilting her head up to let the cool rain wash down her face. Now that he knew what to look for, Sanji was horrified that he hadn't seen the signs sooner. The slight curve of her cheekbones. The way her eyelashes were longer than the regular man's. And how slim her shoulders were, even after finally getting some nourishment.

She was female. No question about it.

"I honestly had no idea you though of me as a man," she said, somewhat apologetically, "Sorry about that. I figured it out not long before you did."

"I...I figured as much." Looking back on it, she had seem quite shocked about something. Inwardly, he grimaced. He'd been fantasising about nursing a beautiful lady back to health, not even realising that he had one right in front of him.

Stupid, stupid,  _ stupid _ !

Although… it would be weird to call Strauss beautiful. Especially when he'd never considered her as such before.

"So-" she flicked her eyes towards him, and Sanji got sucked in by just how green they were- "What are you going to do?"

No. She was better than beautiful. Not that Sanji would ever tell her that though.

But she was looking expectantly at him, so he realised that he would have to answer at some point, "Do...about what?"

Strauss scoffed, "About us. Our relationship."

He couldn't help but blush. Not...not that they were like that,  _ obviously _ . They'd been through this whole song and dance many times before. When he'd thought she was a guy…

Stop it Sanji! She's right there! She means friendship and nothing else! Get your mind out of the gutter!

"Look," she continued, completely oblivious to his torment, "I'm not an idiot. I know that you treat women differently to guys. Which also means that you've treated me in a way you wouldn't have otherwise. So…"

Yeah. He knew full well what she was getting at.

What now?

He didn't know. He just didn't know what to do. She was his first friend, but he was friends with the guy-Strauss, not the lady-Strauss. There was a big difference there.

"Are you…" He trailed off, somewhat surprised he'd even said anything. He wasn't sure where he had been going with that. Quick! Think of something! "Are you...upset at me."

She baulked. "Upset?! Why would you think I was?"

"Well I've treated you so badly-"

"What the hell're you talking about?"

"H-huh?"

"I can't deny that you have been... _ trying _ at times. Very trying in fact."

He winced.

"But!" She raised a finger, wagging it in his face before he could protest, "BUT! Do you seriously think that I'd put up with just about anything?"

Okay now he was confused. Just what was that supposed to mean? Was that...sarcastic? Or was she genuinely mad at him.

The grimace on Strauss' face could curdle milk, "No. The answer's no, Sanji. As much as my patience seems like it's infinite, I do in fact have a limit to the amount of bullshit I can take."

And? Was that...a good thing?

She groaned, pinching her nose, "Which means,  _ you utter idiot _ , that I wouldn't hang out with you if you were genuinely annoying me."

His cigarette tumbled out of his mouth. He...he hadn't thought of it like that. He hadn't thought that Strauss wanted to spend time around him just as much as he wanted the opposite. That meant...that meant that everything was going to be fine, didn't it?

A spark of joy rekindled within him. It was going to be fine! He could rectify his mistakes. He could even have a lady friend! Finally! That was even better than a regular friend, wasn't it. Although now that he thought about it, he'd only ever had a lady friend so it wasn't as if he could compare her to anyone...

"I'm going to ask you again Sanji, what are you going to do?"

Frowning, Sanji turned towards her. He just couldn't understand why she kept asking that same question over and over again, "I'm going to do what I should have always done." He beamed at her, "I'm going to make everything right again, Strauss-san. Don't you worry."

To his horror, her shoulders sagged. "I…" Those pale lips curled into a fine line, before being hidden in a swath of hair, "I see."

What? His body froze with panic, with absolutely no idea what to do. He hadn't said anything wrong. So why was she sad! He couldn't make a lady sad!

"Oh, don't look like that." Strauss smiled at him, but it lacked all of her usual energy, "It's my fault for expecting something impossible."

"No no no no…" he flailed, reaching out to touch her on the shoulder, "It's  _ my  _ fault. I...uh...didn't mean to say that..."

"Yes. You did." Standing up, she dislodged his hand with a flick of her wrist, "That's all I needed. Thanks for telling me, now I'm going to go to bed," she raised an eyebrow, "Are you going to insist I sleep in your bed this time now you know, or can I go back to my hammock?"

Sanji's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. How the hell could he have forgotten? The panic from yesterday seemed more than a distant memory compared to the sudden realisation of what had happened in the morning.

She'd been shot! His lovely Strauss had got shot! And that asshole, Dienen hadn't even done anything! If he ever got his hands on that little punk, ooh Sanji was going to give him the beating of a lifetime.

But if she was shot…

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE YOU IDIOT!" He screeched, bolting to his feet, "YOUR BANDAGES ARE GOING TO GET SOAKED, SO GO GET YOUR SORRY ASS INSIDE INSIDE BEFORE I KICK IT THERE! Ah…!" Sanji clapped a hand over his mouth, "S...sorry. I… Uh… That came out by accident…"

Yet to his surprise, Strauss was laughing. Actively laughing. Her smile felt more genuine, and less...sad, for lack of a better word. "I guess no one can change instantly." She muttered, halfway through the door, "Guess there's some hope for you yet."

He kept staring at the door even after it had closed. The rain had let up a little, now only a tiny pitter patter instead of a full downpour. Not that Sanji had noticed though. 

Hope for him yet? And what exactly did that mean? Did that girl speak exclusively in riddles. Not that Sanji would have minded that, (he would have to buy some good riddle books to do some research, which he would consider later) but he just couldn't figure out how she ticked.

He didn't linger long though. Strauss still needed to change her wet bandages. And, Sanji reasoned as he sprinted back inside, there was a high chance that she wouldn't even bother.

What an idiot.

* * *

Throughout the next few weeks, there was one menu item that was selling like wildfire. It had been a late addition by Zeff and even though it wasn't quite the standard the Baratie was known for, the diners quickly found it to be very appropriate.

Popcorn. And boy did the customers get through it. It got to the stage that Zeff had to delegate a chef  _ specifically  _ to popcorn-creation, otherwise the demand just wouldn't be met.

And Strauss, to her utter dismay, could completely understand the appeal.

She took a single step away from the table she'd been clearing, only to find every plate in her arms get whisked away by a blond curly-browed hurricane.

Freezing in place, she felt her eyebrow start twitching.

Keep smiling… The customers were watching… Even if this was the  _ twentieth _ time that day alone… Just take some deep breaths...calm yourself down…

"Sanji," she beamed he returned to do the rest, "Please don't worry about me. I am  _ paid  _ to do this after all. It is my  _ job _ ."

Be the calm. Become the zen…

"Nonsense," he grinned back, "how could I let a lovely lady like you strain yourself by carrying plates?"

"I have been doing this every day so far Sanji. It's hardly a burden at this point"  _ Become the fucking zen!  _ "Besides, as I keep telling you, I am  _ not _ a lady."

Almost as one, the air of the Baratie got filled by the sound of soft light crunching.

Ah yes. This was why popcorn was so popular. And it was justified. So horribly justified. This was absolutely ridiculous! Who needed novels, or to go to the theatre, WHEN THE DRAMA BETWEEN A RESTAURANT'S WAIT STAFF WAS GOOD ENOUGH!

Sanji's smile just got wider, a slight vein beginning to pop on his forehead, "No...Nonsense. Of course someone as lovely as you is a lady, Strauss-san! And in case you have forgotten, you were recently  _ shot _ . It's my duty  _ as your senior _ to fill in for you."

"That's all healed up." So he was still smiling? Well two could play at that game. The customers wouldn't realise that both smiles were more chilling than amicable. "There's no need for you to keep worrying about me."

"Just stop protesting and let me help. Ah, I can make you a nice dessert later? Would that be nice? I have a new recipe to try out that I think you'd just  _ love _ !"

She wanted to scream so very much. He was almost there.  _ Almost _ ! She could tell that he was close to reaching his breaking point, but he was holding himself back. "It's not helping if it means I'm not  _ doing what I'm paid to do _ ," she finally managed to hiss out.

Poor Sanji. She knew that he meant well deep down, she really did, but it still managed to tick her over the edge. After he'd accidentally yelled at her on the roof, she'd thought that it would mostly be the same. But no. He was still harsher with her than she'd ever seen him be towards a woman, yet as soon as he noticed he became far too overbearing to be able to tolerate. It was like he was trying to convince himself more than anything else, and focused his entire mind, body, and soul to that goal. Which meant that now the atmosphere in the restaurant felt tenser than ever.

Crunch crunch crunch…

AND THE CUSTOMERS DIDN'T HELP!

"Oi, ya shitty bastard," A large hand clamped down on top of Sanji, "The boss man wants ya in the kitchen, stat."

Her heart leapt. Patty! Who would have known that guardian angels came in the form of large burly men?

Sanji glared up at him, "Huh? But I'm on floor with Strauss-san today. Who's gonna take care of her?"

She resisted the urge to run a hand down her face, as well as the urge to pummel him into the ground. It would be fine. She'd been there long enough, and proven herself enough times, that even Zeff had admitted to her that she could handle all the duties by herself. Which she had initially denied at first, working with Sanji was more useful and entertaining than being alone, but now she was genuinely considering it.

The problem was, Sanji probably wouldn't let her do that now.

"I'm gonna be down here!" Patty jabbed a thumb into his chest.

Sanji growled, moving in front of Strauss 'protectively', "I can't trust you to handle something as delicate as a lady!"

Strauss raised an eyebrow in disgust, before slipping away to wait on another table. He couldn't honestly expect her to stay there while he puffed out his feathers like a demented peacock. There was work to be done, and she sure as hell wasn't going to sit around and do nothing. And frankly, it was more suffocating than it was supportive.

By the time that Sanji had realised he'd been defending thin air, she'd already cleared two tables and delivered food to four others. "Strauss-san." He snatched up her hands, capturing them between his own, "I'm afraid I'll have to leave you now."

"Good. Let me go."

"But if you need me, in any shape or form, I will be there. You don't even need to call, I shall feel it in my bones."

"I said it's fine, now let go already."

He finally let go, sagging like a kicked puppy. "I see… So you hate me now."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! 

Her leg had flown up before she was fully aware of it. Sanji didn't have a chance to move, let alone dodge, before he got slammed into the Baratie carpet.

Not bothering to wait for a reaction, she swept a pile of dirty plates onto her arm and marched up the stairs. Eyes were boring into her, the eyes of many horrified diners trained on her receding form.

She was going to get fired for this. It was guaranteed. But for once Strauss found that she really didn't care. She'd held her tongue so many times, but this really was the limit. The absolute limit. She couldn't sit by anymore and watch him mock her like that. It didn't matter if said mocking was intentional or not, she despised it all the same. Especially if he called himself her friend.

So while she cursed at herself for loosing control like that, and her entire being lamented that she was loosing a really good position, she had no regrets in the slightest.

She'd been wanting to do that all week. He was just lucky it hadn't been worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was tricksy to write. Confused Sanji is...well...confusing. And I'm not even sure how I managed to finish this.
> 
> And...I'm also prepared to have a lot of people screaming at me. So...sorry not sorry. It kinda had to happen, and it should make more sense in the grand scheme of things. Just trust me on this one.
> 
> I hope you're enjoying the chapters, I love this fic so damn much, even if Sanji and Strauss don't exactly make it easy for me.
> 
> Stay safe!


	7. Cut it out

Her jaw plummeted, "A YEAR?! It...it takes a  _ year _ for the log to set here?!"

"Sure does," Red Ogre Brogy bellowed, ripping off a charred dinosaur head with his teeth and spitting it into a nearby thicket.

"Ya don't need to worry though," Blue Ogre Dorry slapped her on the back, completely oblivious to the loud coughing fit she descended into, "We'll take care of ya. If you're friends with those Straw Hat kids like you say you are, then it's the least we can do! We're not letting ya die!"

"That's...very encouraging. Thanks." Strauss sighed, rubbing her aching head. At least she knew that they'd been this way. That was something... But a year?! She didn't have that sort of time. She needed to catch up with them as soon as possible. "Remind me how they got off this island again?"

Brogy hummed, stroking his bearded chin, "If I remember correctly, the blond dude-"

Strauss' ears perked up.

"-found an Eternal Pose...to somewhere beginning with A. Alabama maybe?"

"Gegyagyagyagya! It was Alabasta, you idiot!"

"Oh! Yeah! My bad! Gababababababa!"

So Sanji had found an Eternal Pose huh? She smiled. That sounded like him. He was always too perceptive for his own good (when he wanted to be at least).

And now, thanks to him, the distance she needed to catch up on was growing larger by the second.

Gah! Aggressively, she bit off a chunk of the cooked dinosaur the giants had prepared for her. She needed to get off this island already! There was no time to waste! And this meat was disgusting! Far too tough and bland.

Was she seriously turning her nose up at food? She almost laughed despite herself. Boy how the Baratie had changed her.

Ka-boom!

"Ah!" Dorry chucked his discarded bone away and rumbled to his feet, smirking at the pillar of lava spouting from the distant volcano, "It's time again."

She cocked her head, "For your duel? But wasn't the last fight only a few hours ago?"

"Doesn't matter." Brogy grinned toothily, "When the volcano erupts, we fight." He crouched down in front of her, "You gonna be okay by yourself?"

Strauss snorted, "I'll be just fine."

"Good! Just stick around this cave, okay?" He gestured to the holey white rock face, "For some reason the dinos don't like hanging around here, so you  _ should  _ be alright. But keep an eye out."

"Will do." She waved as they stomped off. There was no need to warn her. Those dinosaurs were no joke, and she wasn't stupid enought to put herself in needless danger.

As if sensing her discomfort, the bushes behind her rustled.

Strauss tensed, eyes staring towards the noise.

"UN!"

Rustle rustle.

"DEUX!"

A swan ornament peaked out of the foliage.

"TROIS!"

A figure burst out into the clearing.

"Ah!" The flamboyant man grinned, raising his ballet slipper clad foot into the air, "I forgot what four was!"

In the distance, the sound of punches echoed through the air.

...Huh?

* * *

* * *

"BWAHAHAHAHA!"

Strauss' face flushed a pale pink, "It's… It's not that funny."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Zeff guffawed, wiping a tear from his eye, "But I can't believe you came in here expecting to be fired!"

He hated teasing the girl like this, but she had just looked so miserable when she'd knocked on his door. Patty had told him everything beforehand, kindly offering to beat Sanji's face in, so Zeff had expected her to show up at some point. He knew full well that she was a stickler for rules in a way that he wished the rest of the Baratie staff were. So when she had very tentatively and almost begrudgingly asked if she would be fired, he had almost felt sorry for her.

But he still laughed nonetheless. 

Finally calming down, Zeff let out a long sigh, "Look, there's no need to worry about it. That damn eggplant has sent us all to the point of violence at least once. It's almost an initiation of sorts. And honestly-" he smirked- "I'm surprised you hadn't done that sooner."

Honestly. That girl had the patience of a saint. Especially considering the obnoxious way the damn eggplant had been treating her all week. He had actually been thinking about stepping in when the time was right, but that apparently had been just a bit too long for Strauss. Even though she questioned why she wasn't fired already, he could see that she had absolutely no regrets about doing what she did.

Not that there was anything bad about that. The damn eggplant had been asking for it for a while.

"It's nice that you think that, but do you honestly think that you should be encouraging this sort of thing?" She grimaced, twiddling her fingers, "I'm not exactly comfortable with the idea of using another innocent human being-" Her face darkened- "no matter how annoying and utterly  _ frustrating _ that damn human might be, as stress relief."

"Well normally he fights back, and hard." Zeff sighed and pinched his nose. Oh why had it come to this? "But...considering that it's  _ you _ of all people...I don't think he'd ever do that."

"Why?" She hissed, slamming a hand on his desk, "Is it because I'm a girl?"

That girl… Who knew that she could be absolutely terrifying if she wanted to. "That's...that's a part of it, but-"

"Of course it is!" Strauss threw her arms into the air. "Why is everything in this damn restaurant about gender?! You almost didn't hire me because I was female, and now Sanji seems to think I'm a completely different person just because he found out that I'm not actually a guy! What makes me being a girl such a big deal?!"

"Oi" He rose to his feet, "Now don't you cut me off! I wasn't finished."

She flinched, somehow managing to ball up her shoulders and flop into the stool opposite him, "Sorry Manager Zeff. I got...I just got carried away."

It was a whole lot more than that judging by that aggressive knee bouncing. But she probably needed an outlet of some sort for all that pent up rage.

"Now, if you would let me finish," Zeff pointedly glared at her, "I was only gonna say that sure, your gender is a part of it. It's why I never bothered to correct him when he thought that you were male. But it's also more than that. Think about the way he treats you compared to all the other ladies."

Her lips tightened, "I know. I know that it's because he cares about me and now doesn't know how to act. But..." she sagged, all her energy just draining out of her, "he's just so... _ intense _ . I can't even wash dishes anymore because he-" She emphasised with her fingers- "'doesn't want my hands to become wrinkled from the water'."

Zeff gaped at her, "He...he actually said that?"

"Yeah…"

Oh dear god...it was worse than he thought.

"This is my fault," he groaned, head in his hands, "I was the one who told him to respect women. I've been teaching him that sort of stuff ever since he was such a tiny brat, and I know it's gone too far recently. I should've stopped him. I should've at least tried to...tone it down a little."

"But teaching him that sort of thing isn't exactly bad, is it?" Strauss shrugged, "I mean sure, his definition of respect is  _ waaay _ out of control, and it would be better if he could respect everyone and not just women, but it's not like he's harassing girls with any bad intentions. He's doing it out of kindness. A very warped idea of kindness, but it's still kindness."

Zeff blinked. Was he...was he really getting lectured to by a pipsqueak? But then again, these days it often seemed like the world was turned on its head. Although...it was nice to know that there was a girl out there who actually understood where the eggplant was coming from. It was good to know that he had found such a mature friend to rely on.

"But yeah. It's still your fault."

A vein popped in his forehead. Perhaps he'd thought too highly of her.

"So," he growled at her, "what exactly do you want to do about it?"

Strauss blinked at him, "Do about what?"

Okay. He'd definitely thought far too highly of her. "About the damn eggplant you idiot!"

"Well I wasn't planning on doing anything," she shrugged, "It's not like I can tell him what his feelings are. Besides, the popcorn business is really taking off because of this."

Thump...thump...thump…

"Manager Zeff? Are you alright?"

Did the Baratie exclusively attract idiots or something? Perhaps everyone in the East Blue was this clueless. OR WAS IT JUST THESE TWO!?

"You…" Zeff finally stopped thumping his head against the desk, "Don't you  _ want _ to sort this out!?"

She glanced away, staring out the porthole, "...No. Even if I did, it isn't exactly my decision to make."

Right. He'd forgotten about her warped self esteem. Great… "Of course it's your decision," he grumbled, mind racing to think of an argument that she would support, "Just think about it. What about if you get pushed to the brink like this again, do you  _ want  _ to lash out at people out of nowhere?"

Her lips tightened into a fine line, "No..."

"Then we're going to need to think of a plan."

We're.  _ WE'RE _ ?! Why was he making himself a part of this?! He wasn't their babysitter. It wasn't his responsibility to take care of their little squabbles!

But neither of them were going to do anything about it if Zeff let them be.

"Why're you trying so hard to help us?" Strauss asked, "I get that you and Sanji are close, but I'm just your employee. It would be better, for him and for the restaurant, if you just fired me. So why don't you?"

No. He didn't want that at all. Strauss was one of the best wait staff he'd ever found. If he let such a hard worker like her go, he knew that he was never going to find another one.

But it was more than that. Those two kids needed each other, in a way that Zeff was honestly surprised at. And if they wouldn't make the step themselves then he was do his damndest to push them towards each other. The chance of this happening was one in a million, but by god he was going to take it.

He could picture them both vividly in his mind. That little kid dripping with blood and rainwater who wouldn't die until he achieved his impossible dream. That thin girl with the gunshot wound who thought that she wasn't worthy of kindness.

Didn't they deserve a chance to grow?

* * *

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

Sanji flopped face first onto his bed, ignoring the mild throbbing on the top of his head.

He couldn't believe it. He'd shown her the most possible care and the most possible politeness, and what had she done? Kicked him in the head!

"Damn twinkle toes…"

No! He couldn't think like that! She was a lady after all. A lady who didn't really fit his idea of being a woman and was  _ the _ most frustrating person he'd ever met, but a lady all the same. It was his responsibility as a gentleman to take care of her.

But she'd still hit him.

So what had he done wrong? Had he prepared food she didn't like? Sanji shook his head just thinking about it. No, it couldn't be food related. Strauss was a human garbage can in the way that she consumed anything and everything that was before her. She wouldn't be angry just because he made her something she didn't like.

But she had been turning her nose up at what he'd presented to her recently. He'd put so much effort into them, making each dish a masterpiece of their own right. Since she couldn't eat leftovers now. He forbade it. Only the most delectable morsels would make their way past those flawless pale lips under his watch.

Perhaps it was because she was unused to such fine food? She had only moved onto richer food a few weeks ago after all. There was a high chance that she was simply stunned into silence by the dishes he put before her. And then...ate his own bowl of leftovers because she couldn't handle it?

Naaah. That couldn't be it.

Was it the customers? Were they harassing her? They  _ had _ been getting on his nerves recently, what with the popcorn nonsense and everything. That chomping noise was enough to drive absolutely anyone insane. However Strauss seemed to  _ enjoy _ serving customers, perhaps even more than before. She had expressed her dislike of having popcorn on the menu once, but after that she just seemed to ignore it.

And the customers seemed to like her too. If anything, she was the preferred waiter for most of their regular customers now. The ladies he could understand, even if it immensely disappointed him. They enjoyed having someone they could relate to, and Strauss was absolutely amazing in each and every way so why  _ wouldn't  _ they like her? But the men on the other hand…

He sat bolt upright, trying to resist the urge to rip his pillow into shreds.

Strauss didn't stand for that sort of nonsense though. He'd seen men try to flirt with her (restrain yourself Sanji…), but she'd shut them down almost instantly. But maybe that had less to do with Strauss and more to do with how Sanji glared silent death threats at said men from the opposite side of the room.

So that wasn't right. But then...what  _ was _ it?

He swung his legs off the bed. He wasn't going to get anywhere by himself. He would ask her. It was best to be direct in these sorts of scenarios. And the sooner he found out the answer, the sooner he could try to figure out a solution. He'd made enough mistakes already. Strauss deserved to be treated exactly how she should be.

But shouldn't she be back already? That meeting with the shitty geezer couldn't go on  _ that _ long, now could it. She was supposed to be back 21 minutes ago. So where was she?

Stepping out of their room, Sanji could faintly pick up the sound of light conversation coming from down below. He raised an eyebrow. Strange. The restaurant should be closed by now, and it was too early for dinner. What on earth could be going on?

"Are you sure you don't want it shorter?"

That...came from the bathroom.

"I think it looks good. But what about you, Strauss?"

His eyes widened into saucers.

"I don't particularly mind. Do what you think looks right."

Strauss...was in the bathroom. With...with… He gagged.  _ WITH A GUY?! _ His eyes narrowed. Those damn cooks! He couldn't trust them for a moment. He started running for the stairs. Don't worry Strauss! He would be there soon.

BANG!

Three heads turned towards him as the bathroom door got sent soaring across the room, a large foot shaped dent in its centre.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO STRAUSS?!" Sanji screached, veins popping on his forehead.

Zeff groaned, head in his hand, "Oh it's only the eggplant… I thought something dangerous was happening."

"Do ya want me deal with him, boss man?" Patty punched his fists together.

"Nah. He'll calm down soon enough."

Carne rolled his eyes, "I don't care what you do, as long as he doesn't interrupt me. I don't want to mess this up."

They were talking as if he wasn't there! Sanji growled, scanning the room for her familiar figure. Where was she? Was she alright? She wasn't in danger was she? Had he come too late? He wasn't sure what he'd do if he had… He didn't want to see her bleeding in his arms again.

"Is that Sanji?"

His heart leapt. She was alright! Oh thank goodness.

"Keep still!" Carne growled, head whipping away from Sanji, "I'm hardly an expert here, so don't blame me if I don't cut it right."

C-cut?

He had to see what was going on, despite the sinking feeling that he wasn't going to like what was going on. Ducking under Patty's pathetic attempt at a swipe, he almost slipped on something lying on the floor. Something that was almost silky. And grey…

The same grey that he normally associated with Strauss.

Oh no.

"All done!" Carne clapped his hands, setting down the...the  _ scissors _ on the counter and whipping the tarpaulin off the figure's shoulders, "What do you think?"

His mind went blank. That...that wasn't her was it?

"It's a big change," Strauss shrugged, standing up to look in the mirror, "I realise I had that many spit ends."

She had nice long hair...in a ponytail…

"That's what you get when you don't take care of your hair," Carne huffed, "You didn't ever think of washing it? Or at least getting a trim?"

"You know what, no. I never did. I was too busy trying to feed myself."

Not...not...not this…

"What did you do?!" Sanji cried, picking the long piece of Strauss' discarded hair off the floor.

She turned towards him impassively, the uneven ends of her freshly cut bob swaying against her chin, "Isn't it obvious? Manager Zeff suggested that I get a haircut, so I did."

"B-b-b-but YOUR HAIR!?"

"Oh come on you little eggplant," Zeff smirked, looking surprisingly proud despite this utter atrocity he'd done, "Aren't you going to compliment the girl?"

Sanji gulped. It looked nice on her. Better than nice even. But then again, it was  _ Strauss _ . She looked lovely no matter what her hair was like. Even though he loved watching her long hair swish from side to side as she walked… And he found it fascinating how even though she barely brushed it, it still managed to end up immaculately charismatic.

But in the end, if Strauss liked it he would be happy with that. It was her hair after all. He didn't have the right to be judgmental about it. Even if it was significantly longer on one side than the other, and the choppiness just looked messy instead of purposeful.

"It's...it's really..." He clenched his fists, forcing himself to smile. "It's really nice. But why didn't you tell me about this?!" 

Zeff, Patty, and Carne groaned in unison.

He blinked, turning towards Strauss, "Why're they…?"

"Don't ask me," she muttered, equally confused.

"So," he stepped closer, circling round her to try and get his head around this 'new Strauss', "How did this-" He gestured lamely- "happen?"

She shrugged, twiddling a strand of hair in curiosity, "Well… I dunno how cutting my hair fits into all of this, but…" Trailing off, she inspected his face.

Why? Had  _ he  _ driven her to this? Was it all his fault?! 

"Oi!" She flicked him squarely in the forehead, "Quit blaming yourself."

His hand gently raised to the throbbing pain, "How…?"

"Because you looked pathetic." Sighing, she crossed her arms, "Now, as I was saying, this was all Manager Zeff's idea. Part of his 'plan'."

His... _ plan _ ?! One angry eye snapped towards the chuckling old man.

Zeff shrugged, "I just thought a change in look might snap you out of it."

"Snap me out of it?"

"Look." Zeff planted his hands on Strauss' shoulders, "Sure I bought up the idea myself, but in the end she decided to make this change herself. You don't control her, Sanji."

Huh? What was he talking about? Sanji grimaced, "But...But I  _ don't _ control-"

"Yeah, ya do." Patty crossed his arms, "Ya don't let her do anything for herself; ya don't even let her carry plates!"

"That's because she could...she could pull a muscle! And a lady shouldn't have to carry anything."

Carne grimaced, "Pull a muscle my ass! This lady of yours has beaten up pirate crews without even breaking a sweat. I think she could handle a couple of plates."

"But her injury-"

"Isn't serious enough to stop me from working." Strauss raised the corner of her shirt, and even though Sanji instantly held a hand over his eyes he could tell that all that remained was an angry red blotch on her skin. It wasn't even bleeding anymore. She could properly fight and it wouldn't be a problem.

"But…" his voice wavered, "But…"

"I know that you're confused, and don't know what to do." Zeff muttered calmly, "But you're suffocating her. And the worst thing is that you don't even know you're doing it."

S-suffocating her? He wasn't… He'd never… All he wanted to do was make up for the mistakes he'd made. He...he had no idea.

_ Liar _ .

He'd known alright. How could he not. There were times when parts of him wondered if he was just going a little too far. And perhaps he was. But then… how was he supposed to know how to act. It was always easier to reach for one extreme than grasping for something in the middle. How could he determine what was enough and what wasn't? It was stupid for her to say that he shouldn't blame himself for this, since that much was certain. It  _ was _ his fault. He was the one who didn't know how to act. Strauss was the same as always, he knew that, but at the same time she was so very different.

He didn't need anything as drastic as cutting her hair to make him realise that.

Sanji trailed the jagged edge of her bob with his finger, trying his hardest to ignore the guilt raging inside of him, "Oi Carne...you did a shit job. I'll tidy this up."

They didn't call him out for not responding to the accusation, even if they looked disappointed. Patty and Carne at least. Zeff and Strauss appeared to have a glimmer of recognition in their eyes. Hardly surprising really. It was annoying how they could be so observant.

"Are you sure?" Strauss asked, cocking her head, "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Zeff grimaced, "No...I think it's a good idea. He's right. It looks shit."

"I did try and tell you that I haven't done this before," Carne grumbled, "But you still made me do it."

"I'll do it!" Patty offered.

"NO!"

At least for that, they were in agreement.

"Right," Zeff all but shoved Patty and Carne out of the room, "Take your time. We'll fix food for you both."

Sanji opened his mouth to reel of a list of qualifications for Strauss' meal, before gently closing it. That wouldn't help right now. Instead he just watched as the door swang shut.

They were alone.

It was the first time they'd been alone since that time on the rooftop. Not that Sanji was  _ avoiding _ her or anything, no why would he do such an idiotic thing, he just felt that it wasn't appropriate to be left alone in a room with a lady. Even though that was all he desperately craved…

NO! He slapped his crimson cheeks. GO AWAY THOUGHTS! DON'T BE DIRTY! NOT FOR STRAUSS! SHE'S SPECIAL! AND WAY OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE!

"You're thinking something weird again, aren't you?"

"I-I'm not!" He squeaked. 

"Mhm?" Strauss smirked, raising an eyebrow, "Okay then."

He picked up the scissors, investigating the blades in a pitiful effort to distract himself, "How...how do you want it?"

Oh come on, that was pathetic. At least  _ try _ to sound calm!

Groaning, Strauss hopped back up onto the stool she had just been sitting on, "Don't really mind. It's just hair, isn't it?"

"But it's  _ your _ hair," he frowned, "You should at least have  _ some _ opinions on how you want it."

"Well I don't. Funnily enough, sorting my hair wasn't really a priority when I was trying to find food."

Since she had no opinions on the matter, he'd just try and tidy this up for now. He really didn't want to make it any shorter than it already was. Tentatively, his fingers reached out to grasp the jagged ends of hair. "Then why keep it so long?" Not that he was complaining about it or anything, he was just confused. "If you were working so much, wouldn't it just get in the way if it was that long?"

Her shoulders hunched, and he wished that he could see her expression, "Well...let's just say that someone wanted me to keep it that way. He...he thought it was elegant."

He?  _ HE?! _ Sanji's blood boiled. Just who was this 'he'?! Her boyfriend!? A past flame!? WHO?!

But he wouldn't ask. It wasn't right. Besides, whoever that damn bastard was, he was right. She looked so lovely with long hair, so serene as it cascaded down her back like tainted moonlight.

No. Noooooo! Stop right there! You're entering dangerous territory, Sanji! Keep your wits about you!

In his haste to actually start cutting, and stop thinking such distracting things, Sanji's hand brushed against the warm skin of Strauss' neck.

Oh. He...he hadn't realised how close he was. He gulped, somehow unable to tear his eyes away. 

Something trickled from his nose. Something...far too thick to be water.

_ Shitshitshitshitshit! _

"Ah!" He clapped his hands over the nosebleed, shuffling back as fast as he could. How could he. No. Damn reflexes. It wasn't fair. He'd been afraid of this. This was why he'd been avoiding being alone together. AAAAAH!!

Startled by the sudden noise, Strauss turned to glance over her shoulder, "Is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah DON'T LOOK!" He waved a hand to stop her, the slight action unbalancing him enough to make him trip over the bucket Zeff normally kept in the bathroom, "Yaaaaaaagh!"

Ow...his head stang… But he had to get out of there. He had to escape before she noticed.

"Here." A roll of toilet paper got handed to him, "For your nose."

Awwwwwww fu-

"You must have hit it on the way down or something. That was quite a fall after all."

Sanji blinked. Oh. So she...hadn't realised. Great! He could get behind that. "Thanks…" He mumbled, shuffling upright while trying to ignore the comforting hand burning into his shoulder.

"I...I'm sorry about hitting you by the way."

He stared at her while ripping off a piece of toilet paper to pinch on his nose, "Why? I'm sure you had a good reason to."

"Doesn't matter if I had a good reason to, the fact is that I actually did and I shouldn't've." She sighed, tearing off her own piece to dab at the slowly drying stains on Sanji's cheek. "You...were trying your best. You didn't deserve that."

"But obviously my best isn't good enough." Ah look at that. It was stopping already. How conspicuously convenient. 

"Good…" She sighed, "Good is a subjective thing. And we've just got two different opinions on what that is."

Yeah. He knew that much at least. "All I want," he mumbled under his breath, "Is to make you happy."

Snorting derisively, she rolled her eyes, "I know..."

"Am I really suffocating to you?"

He regretted asking. Especially when he already knew the answer she would give. But he had to know. He had to hear her actually say it.

"A little bit."

A little bit. That was as good as a yes. He drooped. He'd messed up. Badly. It was a genuine miracle that she was still speaking to him at this point. Anyone else would've packed their bags and left.

Although he didn't know how he'd react if she ever decided to go.

"But I know you mean well." Strauss smiled at him, holding out a hand, "Just...try and tone it down, okay?"

"Yeah…" He blankly took her hand and let her pull him up.

"The same goes for me," she grimaced, "I...I know that I can be quite...tightly wound sometimes. Especially when it comes to people I'm close to."

Close to? His eyes widened.

"And yeah. That list does include you, you damn pretty boy." Chuckling, she stretched up to ruffle his hair, "But I'll try and tone my...stubbornness back a bit. Is that okay?"

Sanji nodded so frantically he felt light headed. It was more than okay. Fantastic even! He didn't deserve to be forgiven.

"We...we good then?" Strauss pressed her lips together, looking almost apprehensive.

Sanji took her hand and shook it firmly, "Yeah. We're still friends!"

Ah! So good! Everything was going to work out okay in the end! As long as they could get over this bumpy part. And then maybe, just maybe, they might end up being close. And then closer than close. Maybe even (he gulped) more than friends…

"Sanji… Your nose is bleeding again."

"FUCK!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly later than I would've liked, but at the same time it's slightly longer than normal. So...yay? I feel really bad for Sanji though...this guy doesn't deserve such torment. Even if he's now become so tempermental I have no idea what's going to happen when I start writing his 'bit'.
> 
> Thanks so much for all the comments, Strauss is getting so much love I genuinely can't believe it. Hopefully I continue to not disappoint!


	8. Fool's company

"UN! DEUX! TROIS! Uh…"

Strauss hid her face in her hands, "It's 'quatre'."

"Aaaaaaaaah! Thank you Straussy-chaaaan!" The strange man pirouetted around her, cackling to himself, "It's so nice to have someone to keep reminding me!"

How...how had she ended up here again? This... _freak_ (and no, that wasn't because he was an Okama, he was just annoying) had appeared out of the bushes out of nowhere, stared at her for a solid minute, before prancing in circles begging for her to come with him. She wasn't even sure what his name was!

How did she get from there...to _here_!?

"How is the needle looking boys?"

"We're on target, Mr 2 Bon Kurei-sama!"

Oh. Right… He had an Eternal Pose to Alabasta, which meant that he was the only way off that island. That was why.

Either way, she didn't like it.

"Hey Straussy!" 'Mr 2' clasped her face eagerly with both hands, "Can you dance with me?! I would loooove to see you dance!"

Huh? She stared blankly at him. But...she hadn't told him a thing about herself. "How did you…"

"How did I know that you are a fellow dancer?! Straussy! Stop joking around!" He giggled, pulling her to her feet, "I know a fellow dancer when I see one. The poise! The elegance! The love!"

She blinked. The what now?

"Oh don't look at me like that," Mr 2 crooned, spinning Strauss under his arm, "I know the eyes of a maiden in love! Ah!" He clasped a hand to his chest- "Though you may be far, I shall always remember, The taste of your love!"

His crewmates applauded.

What sort of madness had she gotten herself into?

"So release your anguish with me, dear Straussy!" He flung out his hand, "Come, dance your troubles away! Since for us dancers, there is no better way of expressing ourselves than by using our bodies!"

Strauss seriously considered jumping off the ship.

"To deprive yourself of something you crave is to deprive yourself of your humanity! That is a basic fact of being human! You can repress it all you want! You can try to bury it deep down in the depths of your heart! But the fact that you are out here chasing someone means that you have finally accepted it as a part of your very being." Mr 2 grinned, "Isn't that right, Straussy?"

Strauss raised an eyebrow. Damn. For someone so flamboyant, this guy was quite empathetic wasn't he?

"Well then," she muttered, hopping to her feet. "I guess you're not going to accept no as an answer, so I have no choice." Arching her back however, she couldn't hide the smile that pulled at her lips, "I might be a little rusty. Please forgive me."

Mr 2 snickered triumphantly, "My dear Straussy… for some reason, I find that very hard to believe."

Perhaps this leg of her journey wouldn't be as bad as she had initially thought.

* * *

* * *

Thwak!

Sanji grimaced as the kick connected with his raised shin. He didn't need to brace himself. The hit was barely enough to force him backwards. "No no no... " He sighed, lowering the leg, "Let's go through this one more time."

"Damn." Strauss cursed, wiping the sweat from her forehead, "I really thought I had it that time."

He didn't like this. Not in the slightest. If he had his way Strauss would never have to fight, let alone train. But...compromises had to be made. For both sides (even if he personally felt like he was being penalised the most). 

At least he wasn't being forced to actually _attack_ her. That much he was grateful for. And even though it was obvious that Strauss really didn't enjoy using him as a human punching bag, she had to admit that there were some benefits. It meant that he was more focused on teaching her. If she had to fight, which she shouldn't, then she'd at least be able to do it well. He didn't know what he'd do if she hurt herself again.

"You're not leaning into it enough," Sanji explained, moving slowly through the motions to emphasise, "It's important to make sure you shift your entire bodyweight into your heel. That's where you get the most force from. You, on the other hand, do this," Leg still suspended, he pointed his toes.

She winced.

He lowered his leg, meeting her gaze, "It might look elegant, but it definitely won't feel it once you land a hit. It'll shatter all your toes in an instant. Never, and I mean _never_ , do this."

"I'll try…"

"I'm going to need something a lot better than _try_."

"Yeah, but…" She scratched her head, "It's an old habit of mine. It's not going to be easy to get rid of it."

His ears pricked up. Was this... _backstory_?! Information about Strauss' past? He suppressed the beaming smile that threatened to spread across his face. This was perfect! Strauss was tight lipped at the best of times, especially about her past, which meant that getting any information out of her was next to impossible.

It frustrated him to no end. Sure, he might know her personality, but other than that she was pretty much a mystery. Not if Sanji had anything to do about it through! Strauss was his special friend! He wanted to get to know her better! Find out her favourite foods, her favourite colours and so on. Hell, he didn't even know her birthday. The basic stuff, rather than any bad memories she might have.

After all, he knew full well why someone would want to obscure their past.

"An old habit?" He probed, rolling out his shoulders, "From what?"

She rolled her eyes, "Oh come on. You don't want to know that boring stuff."

OH YES HE DID! HE WANTED TO KNOW EVERYTHING!

"Look," he gestured to the golden orange light sinking below the horizon, "It's already getting pretty late. We were going to stop anyways, so let's just-"

A loud gurgle echoed through the air.

Sanji raised a lazy eyebrow, " _Really_?"

"...sorry."

"I swear you have a bottomless pit for a stomach or something, Strauss-san." Sighing, he slung his towel over his shoulder and walked towards the door. "But _as I was saying_ , let's just chat for a bit. I'll get some food sorted."

Her eyes narrowed for a moment. Typical Twinkle Toes. "Fine…" She followed him out, "I'll go take a shower and freshen up a bit, 'kay?"

S-shower?!

His nose began to tingle.

No! Control yourself Sanji! Don't get a nosebleed, you pathetic excuse of a human! Strauss-san is pure and innocent! She shouldn't be… be _thought_ of like this! Look, just calm down a moment. She doesn't know that you're thinking like this… If you're calm… she won't notice a thing.

"Yeah that sounds fine!" His voice wasn't really that high pitched, was it? Surely it was just his imagination! "Y-y-you go take a sho… a shoooow… a sh-sh- _shower_ a-and I'll… make food. Yeah… food…"

YOU FUCKING IDIOT!

Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice. "Sounds good to me! See you at the usual spot."

"See you there…" he muttered as she sauntered off, before crumpling against the wall. Oh god...he was a mess. Now that he'd started thinking... _those_ thoughts, he just couldn't stop! They were everywhere, even going as far as to infiltrate into his dreams. Which made waking up in the middle of the night to see Strauss half dangling out of her hammock with appallingly mussed up hair pure torture. Especially since he had cut that silky soft hair himself…

Noooooooope! Stop right there brain!

He marched off to the kitchen. If he didn't get a move on, Strauss would be waiting on the roof for ages. With wet hair to boot, since he knew that she wouldn't bother to dry it properly. He sighed. What an idiot. Maybe she should just catch a cold, that would serve her right. And then he could nurse her back to health aga…

On second thought, he should hurry up and make their food.

It would be easy enough to just make _her_ a special meal, but Strauss made that much impossible. If he made something just for her, she'd just steal his bowl of leftovers. He didn't know why, but she did. Even if he tried to stop her, she'd still manage it. Which left him only one choice. He'd have to make them _both_ special. That way it didn't matter which one she stole; they'd both be equally delicious.

Sanji couldn't help but snicker to himself. Take that Strauss! She wouldn't outsmart him this time! She would eat his food, and _enjoy it_ ! Even if she enjoyed his food anyways… But no matter! He would _make_ her feel special, if it was the last thing he'd do!

It was fairly easy (for Sanji at least) to whip something up. Taking the precooked rice noodles, the day's vegetable peelings, and some salmon fillets that were in dire need of being used up, two bowls of delicious noodle salad came together in mere minutes. At least he hoped it was delicious.

After all, he hadn't really tasted his own cooking before.

Strauss' eyes sparkled as soon as she saw the two laden bowls in his hands, "Oh that smells heavenly!"

"It must, for it to be worthy of an angel like you," he grinned, sitting down next to her.

"Shut up," she lightly punched his shoulder, "Try that sort of line with someone who cares."

Well...he did care. It wasn't just a line to him. He believed it wholeheartedly.

As he had expected, she reached for the furthest dish first. "Too bad," He grinned at the blatant shock on her face, "I guess you just have to eat it."

"B-b-but this isn't on the menu is it?," she spluttered.

"Nope. Made it just now."

Eyes narrowing, she growled at him, "I thought I told you to stop making me special meals…"

"Well I made one for myself too, so you can stop complaining." Sanji leant forwards, holding out the cutlery, "So, are you going to accept this nice meal I made for us both and eat up, or let perfectly good food go to waste?"

It wasn't even an choice, and he knew it. No one who'd experienced starvation of some sort would sit still when there was the possibility of food being wasted.

"You," grumbled Strauss, snatching the cutlery out of his hands, "Are evil."

"There's nothing evil about wanting to give you special treatment, Strauss-san."

"Just… wipe that damn smile off your face."

He would do no such thing! This felt amazing! He'd finally won an argument against Strauss! Not that it was much of an argument, but it still felt good! Especially when he watched her try to hide her delighted grin as she put a forkful into her mouth.

He'd make sure to win more often.

"Oh, and here." He tossed a towel onto her head, "I knew you wouldn't dry it."

"It'll be fine. It's just hair."

"Zeff's not gonna let you work if you catch a cold."

She growled, muttering curses as she (very aggressively) rubbed the towel over her head. "There-" She tossed it back to him- "Better?"

He couldn't help but laugh. How could he not when that usually straight hair now looked like an albino hedgehog? Strauss sat confused for a moment, before reaching up and touching one of her new spikes. Then she joined in on the laughter.

Yeah. Winning felt good.

It felt weird to be the one eating his own cooking for once, instead of the other chefs' leftovers. Normally, he only made things for other people. He enjoyed watching them savour his food, and felt honoured that because of him people were nourished and filled with energy. Which was why that, in a way, he felt surprised that it tasted just so good. It almost felt surreal that he'd made something this good.

He'd really improved huh… Sanji took another bite, pride practically radiating off him.

Hang on a moment. Wasn't there another purpose to this?

"So-" He cocked his head- "What did you mean earlier about an 'old habit'."

Strauss choked on her mouthful, "You… you seriously want to talk about that?"

"Obviously. Why do you think I wanted to chat for a bit?"

Hissing, she set her bowl down next to her. "I'd hoped that you would forget about that…"

Sanji eyed it curiously. She wasn't finished, Strauss never considered herself full until the dish had been licked clean, so why was she leaving it?

A revelation shot through him.

Did… Did she hate it?! Was the dish not to her tastes?! He couldn't believe it! Wh..where had he gone wrong? Was it the sauce?! He knew he'd been a little risky with the cayenne, but he didn't think it tasted _that_ awful!

"Okay…" She sighed, slowly nodding her head, "Now my thoughts are in order. I can answer that question no…" She scrutinised Sanji's face, "Why're you looking like that?"

His face flushed. "What, uh, do you…" Stop stammering dammit! "W… WhatSortOfFoodDoYouLike, Strauss-san?!"

"Whatever you make me, obviously."

… huh?

Cocking her head, she lifted her bowl up, "Well to be honest I'd pretty much eat anything you put in front of me, even if it tastes disgusting, but your food is…" Grimacing, she snapped her fingers, "Ah… how do I put it? It's...it's…"

Sanji leant forwards eagerly.

"It's just really good, alright! Really really _reeeally_ good." Strauss stuffed a heavily laden fork into her mouth, her frustration completely undermined by the slight wiggle of her toes as the food seeped into her tongue. "Sorry I can't explain it better. I'm don't really know much when it comes to individual tastes and stuff."

"But you can't like everything!" Sanji protested, "There...there must be things you do like, and things you don't."

She shrugged, already twirling more noodles round her fork, "Nope. I never really had that luxury even before I was scavenging, so it never really came to mind."

Odd. He knew that any preferences Strauss might have have would be warped by those 4 years of starvation, but he hadn't considered that she wouldn't have any in general.

"When you say before…" He hesitated. Should he press it or not? It felt like it might be a tender issue, and he didn't want the rift between them to grow even wider because of his damn curiosity. But he really wanted to get to know her better...

"Ah," she sighed, "Well, I guess I couldn't put this off forever."

He blinked. She… she was actually going to talk about her past?! Like… for real?

"Oh don't look at me like that. This is all stuff that I think you've figured out already."

Okay wait what? _He'd_ figured out!? Since when? He hadn't even bought up anything with her, just in case he scared her off.

Wait...

Wasn't there that night when they'd had that first argument about training, and then chatted in the dark afterwards. A chat which was the entirety of ten minutes before Strauss very conspicuously changed the subject before Sanji had been about to ask...

"Were you a dancer?"

"Yup." She slurped down her last mouthful and set the bowl down, "I've been told it's pretty obvious."

"It is." Especially when he knew what to look for. Since what else could have made her so elegant and balanced apart from fighting or dancing. And Strauss wasn't built to be a fighter. She was right, he'd figured out that much right from their first fight together.

It suited her. Now that he knew, he couldn't imagine her being anything else.

"Which dance?"

At that she snorted, "The only one society seems to care about. Ballet."

Yeah that was probably true. Dance was so uncommon that ballet was the only one that people paid to go and see, especially outside of the Grand Line. There were other dance forms, but they didn't get the same sort of publicity.

"You started young."

She shrugged, "My parents were both ballet dancers. It would be pretty hard _not_ to dance when a kid's exposed to all of that."

"True…" He didn't quite know what to say next. How… How had she moved from dancing with her parents to scavenging on the streets. It was clear there had been a split of some sort. She wasn't communicating with anyone outside of the Baratie. No letters, no calls, not even any money being sent back.

He could only imagine the worst.

"Having parents like that meant that I had a strict training regime, the one they were used to in fact." She tilted her head towards him, "Guess it rubbed off on me."

Sanji rolled his eyes, "You can say that again. I take it that you had a strict diet too?" The Baratie recently become famous enough to bring in famous customers from all over. There was many a time he'd have to restrain himself because of ballerinas demanding how many calories were in each dish. Their diets were no joke.

"Yeah." Strauss hummed softly, propping herself back on her hands. "It's pretty hard to have a favourite food when you eat the exact same thing each day."

Their hands were almost touching! _Their hands were almost touching!!_

"Still," Sanji managed to say clearly, "Everyone has a favourite food. Even you."

She chuckled, her head lolling back, "Then I guess you're just going to have to help me find mine."

Ba-dump!

Was this girl _trying_ to give him nosebleeds? Since it really felt like that sometimes. She was just so… so… There were no words to describe her.

No. He sat bolt upright. He couldn't think like this. Strauss might be a lady, but she didn't deserve to be thought of like this. She was his _friend_. F. R. I. E. N. D. Nothing more. He shouldn't get excited because she's a lady.

She deserved better than him anyway.

"Right!" He scrambled to his feet, snatching up their bowls, "Guess I should go and get these cleaned up."

Strauss blinked, those lovely green eyes of hers filled with confusion, "But didn't you do the dishes yesterday?"

"N-no I didn't." He had to go. Escape. And fast. "It's my turn, so I'll go clean them up."

"Sanji?"

"It's okay! I'll go!"

As soon as the door shut behind him, he couldn't help but hiss. Why was it always like this? Why was his gut instinct to run away like a coward? Pathetic… He was absolutely pathetic…

And he just couldn't figure out why.

* * *

Strauss watched him go. What the hell was that all about? She hadn't thought that being a dancer would be _that_ weird… Chuckling, she collapsed backwards to watch the dark clouds flow gently over the moon. She hadn't even planned on telling him. He was… so puppylike. His emotions could be read so easily; so much so that any disappointment felt like a physical punch in the gut.

She just hoped that he wouldn't dig for more details. He shouldn't, at least she thought he wouldn't. People with damaging pasts tended not to pry into other people's. She wasn't fully convinced though. She knew full well that there was a massive hole in her story. But… She sighed. That sort of stuff didn't need to be said really. He could fill in the gaps on his own. It didn't matter if it was correct or not.

If he actually asked her directly though… Strauss groaned, pinching her nose. If he did that, would she really be able to say no?

God… She was terrible at this friend stuff. Trusting people wasn't something that came easily to her. Which really stang when Sanji kept being so damn nice to her. Now don't get her wrong he could still be _very_ annoying, but even after all that he was still trying to make her happy. She didn't understand _why_ he was trying so hard, she didn't really deserve anything like that, but the fact that he was.

And what was she doing? Nothing! That's what! Hell, he was starting to _actively run away_ from her now. Why?! Was he scared of her or something? Either way, she was obviously doing something wrong.

That just meant that she ought to be doing something in return, right? Reciprocating his kindness or something. She'd given up information for that very reason. After all...what else did she have to offer. What could she do… to be nice to him in return.

 _NOT_ cooking. That much she was certain of. Considering how she'd never cooked in her entire life, she wasn't mentally prepared for whatever disaster she'd make. Not to mention that she _would not_ waste food. Never. She refused.

Besides, Sanji would probably laugh at her appalling skill. He would always be far better than her in the kitchen, and that was the way they both liked it.

So… what could she do?

A gift perhaps? She didn't really have the wages to pay for anything good though. Most of their pay went into their food and board, which left a couple of pennies left over for personal spending. She _could_ buy something cheap, but that would leave a bad taste in her mouth. If she was going to get him something, it had to be something he'd actually _use_.

But wasn't she quite good at scraping money together at this point?

She chuckled, swinging to her feet. Yeah. She'd do that. And get a gift for Zeff while she was at it. He deserved it at this point for putting up with their antics for so long.

"Uh… Strauss-san? Are you still up here?"

Blinking, she turned at the sudden light. Had she been that lost in thought? She hadn't even heard the door open.

"Oh!" A blond head poked around the door, "Thought you might still be here."

Strauss frowned at the tiny dessert glass in his hands, "And I thought that you were doing the dishes. What're you doing?"

"Well I was doing some thinking," Sanji muttered, hopping up next to her, "About what you said about your diet and everything? And I realised that you probably never had much chance to eat sweets or anything with sugar in, right?"

"Yeah?"

Apart from the stale scraps that she'd rummaged through trash cans to find. But they probably tasted very different.

"So… And don't get me wrong!" He glared at her, "You know this is on the menu too! I...I was practicing. So, you'd better not waste it!"

Her eyes were narrowing more and more by the minute. Practicing? He'd been... _practicing?_ With only one end result?! This was what she was talking about! He'd… He'd made this specifically for her, hadn't he! Just because she'd never had sweets! What a terrible reason! She'd done absolutely nothing to deserve this!

But, she didn't exactly want to waste food. That was the only reason she took it. The only reason. Nothing else behind it.

Even if that tiramisu looked far too cute to be eaten. Especially with that flawless spiral of cream resting on the top. And the grated chocolate in broken spirals.

She wiped a sliver of drool from her lips.

"Just give it a try." He leant forwards as if to nudge her, before seemingly thinking better of it, "Go on. It doesn't matter if you don't like it."

Well… If he was insisting. And why did he look so excited? She was the one eating it, not him.

Hesitantly, she put a spoonful into her mouth.

So… cold! She'd never had anything this cold before. It wasn't the same cold as drinking freezing water, this was more of a refreshing sort of cold. A relaxing type, rather than bracingly freezing. She loved the way it seemed to melt on her tongue. She'd never thought that a food could feel this way! Not at all! And it was creamy! So creamy and yummy that just tasting it sent shivers down her toes.

As she'd expected. Those old stale biscuits and cakes had nothing on freshly prepared desserts.

She tried so hard to make it last. She really did. But it still felt too soon when she looked down and realised that the glass had been scraped down.

Oh… There was no more…

"So… I take that you liked it?"

She flinched. Had… HAD SANJI BEEN THERE THE ENTIRE TIME!? H-HE'D WATCHED THAT ENTIRE EMBARRASSING DISPLAY! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

"Pffft!" Sanji chuckled, doing his best to hide his snickers behind a hand.

"O-OI!" She snarled, "What's so funny!?"

"Nothing, it's nothing!" Cocking his head Sanji grinned at her, his hair bleached by the pale moonlight, "It's just that you're really cute when you're enjoying food."

She flinched.

C-cute? Was he joking? S-she wasn't _cute_ . She never had been. Ever since she was a child she'd had a face that always seemed stern, and grey hair that never suited her age. People were more likely to be scared of her than call her beautiful. But… _CUTE_?! His teasing had gone too far! 

"Ah…" He faltered at her vibrant red face, "I...I didn't… I mean… uh… I didn't say that… out loud… did I?"

H-huuuh?! What did he mean he didn't mean to say that out loud?! If he didn't want to say it… then… that meant that… HE GENUINELY THOUGHT THAT?!

"Please don't be mad at me!"

Strauss recoiled as Sanji abruptly bowed towards her. "Why...would I be mad?" She was just flustered, not angry or anything! Why would she be mad because of a compliment?! E-even if that compliment was… completely misplaced… Since she wasn't cute in the slightest…

"Well…" He sat up, fringe flopping slightly to the side, "I-It's… uh… I don't want you to misunderstand me! You're my friend…" Biting his lip, he gulped, "I don't want to ruin that."

"So you didn't mean it?"

Why did saying that make her feel so sad?

"NO!"

Her eyes widened.

"You're gorgeous Strauss-san! And really cute too!" He clenched his fists, "I wouldn't lie about something like that."

Ah. She finally felt her heart rate slow to a more natural speed. She should've know. This was just regular old Sanji, viewing the world through his rose-tinted lenses. Everything was far more romantic to him.

She shouldn't have expected anything different.

"You know," she smiled, "If you were like that to the ladies, they'd probably like you more."

He gaped, "Strauss-san! I'm being serious here!"

"And so am I! You're really nice when you're being genuine."

"D-do you really think so?"

She nudged him with her shoulder, "Of course! We wouldn't be friends otherwise!"

Pausing for a moment, he eventually smirked at her, "Well, you're more popular with the ladies anyway. I should be asking you for tips!"

"You don't deserve them."

"H-hey!"

Yeah. She really shouldn't have got so worked up over nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and I hope you all stay safe and happy if you're going back to work/school. Or just generally. Everyone needs to be happy and safe.


	9. A change in pace

Straussy stretched her arms above her head, demonstrating the true poise of a dancer, "So this is Alabasta, huh?"

"It is!" Bentham beamed, not hesitating to spin the darling girl under his arm. "It's horribly drab, isn't it?"

"I guess to you it might be…"

He felt overjoyed that she didn't resist. Throughout the journey, Straussy had been absolutely wonderful. The girl could dance, and obviously loved it. He couldn't possibly begin to understand why she was restraining herself though! Such art needed to be shared with the world.

"Sooooooo," He crooned, waving some vague directions to his boys, "Which island are you off to next?"

She cocked her head, "Which island? I'm staying here. As far as I know, my friend is still on this island. I'm not leaving until I know for certain that he's moved on."

His heart skipped a beat, and not in the jubilant way it did when he saw cute boys. "N-no no  _ no _ !" Eyes widening, he couldn't help but flail his fingers, "Y-y-y-you must be joking!"

"Why?"

"B-because…" Hissing, he glanced over his shoulder. None of his boys were listening, or they were at least very good at pretending. Confident that the coast was clear, Mr 2 dramatically bought his hand to her ear, "Between you and me, this country is on the brink of a civil war. It isn't safe!"

That would be enough, wouldn't it? He couldn't exactly say what was going to happen in Alabasta, as he wasn't sure why he was there himself. Chances were this was where Zero-chan's Utopia was going to be based. And… Zero-chan was Zero-chan.

"And?" The young girl shrugged, "I need to find Sanji. A war won't stop me."

"Don't you understand!?" He latched onto her shoulders, ignoring her wince as his perfectly manicured nails wrinkled her fine dress shirt, "Your friends are  _ gone _ ! If they had any sense, they would've fled the country as soon as their Log set."

"True…" She flicked him off, "But they might not have left  _ yet _ . If I leave now while they're still here, it'll get more confusing later on. I should ask some of the townspeople if they've seen them."

"Just go! Is finding this person worth putting your life in danger?"

"Yes."

Such a sure answer… and such determined eyes… Bentham could already feel his feet start to tremble. He hadn't heard that sort of passion since he'd left the Kamabakka Kingdom. He'd thought it was just him who thought of friends that highly. 

It made him want to protect this young dancer friend of his even more.

"Forgive me Straussy!"

But she raised her leg to meet his right before he could smash it across the back of her head.

"M...Mr 2, Bon Kurei!"

He thrust out a hand to his subordinates, "Stay out of this! This is a fight of love!"

"A fight of love, my ass!" Strauss growled, narrowing her opulent emerald eyes, "I knew I couldn't trust you, 'Mr 2 whoever you are'! Why else would you be so damn suspicious?"

"I… I can't let you stay here, Straussy!" The betrayal! It throbbed like a hummingbird within his bosom. "It's too dangerous for you!"

"I have to! For my friend! I thought you understood that!"

She was good. No, exquisite. He had thought her dance was rough and untempered, but in the heat of battle it transformed her into a valkyrie! An angel of death! It thrilled him to watch her. However… her hits lacked power. Her agility was restrained by a strange urge to use brute force, as if she was constantly holding herself back. It irked him immensely! Such a bird should not have its wings restrained thus! Especially by their own means!

It made defeating her so heart wrenching.

He caught her limp body before it hit the ground. Such a strong girl should never be sullied by mere sand. If she had been stronger… she might just have beaten him. No, she definitely would have. If only...

Her head lolled to the side.

Oooh he already felt so bad! How could he do this to poor Straussy?! No no! He shook his head. It was for her own good! If she stayed, she could get caught up in Operation Utopia and he would never forgive himself if that happened. He didn't want to restrict her talent!

Ah! The true sorrow of parting! Already the agony picked at his delicate eyes. But he would not cry. He would never! It was a disgrace to Straussy's conviction.

Get her off the island. He had to get her off the island! But how?! He couldn't go into town, Zero-chan had demanded that much. Apparently he was 'too conspicuous', whatever that meant. Yet that only meant he had to wait for someone mooring outside of town! B-b-but that was preposterous! Who would be so daft as to not moor all the way out…

A figure whistled in the distance, a neon orange cowboy hat perched jauntily on his head as he sauntered towards a small dingy tied to a rock not far away.

Bentham blinked.

Ooh! That could work!

* * *

* * *

" _ Strauss-san. _ " Sanji smiled, "You are going to stay  _ right there _ ."

Strauss responded in kind, "Don't worry about me,  _ Sanji _ .  _ I _ can take care of  _ myself  _ you know."

Zeff groaned. For a few weeks, it had been peaceful. Absolutely peaceful. Blissful even. But they  _ had _ to go through another pirate raid. They had to! Because the universe hated him! And now his two best servers were at each other's throats… metaphorically speaking.

"Now now,  _ Strauss-san _ ," Sanji's face was so peaceful, completely contradicting how viciously he was hissing, "I can't exactly let a  _ lady  _ fight for no reason."

"I think you're overthinking things again,  _ Sanji _ ." Strauss cracked her knuckles cheerfully, "As I keep telling you,  _ I'm not a lady _ !"

...Although he wasn't sure if it would stay that way for long.

At least they weren't having one of those godawful screaming matches. His eardrums were thankful for that much. He was sure that they wanted to, oh they definitely wanted to, but both of them valued their work ethic enough to not let that happen. 

"Ah, but every woman is a lady in my eyes,  _ Strauss-san _ ."

"Then you can't have met many women."

He couldn't believe they were fighting about fighting. Well… he  _ could _ , but he hadn't expected it to be here of all places. Right in front of everyone. And the pirates weren't even taken care of yet! They were just standing there as bewildered as he was! They weren't even taking advantage of the very convenient distraction and attacking. It was insulting really.

At least the diners weren't that phased. They were just chatting as normal, watching the chaos unfold as if it was dinner theatre. 

Munch munch.

And always! Eating!  _ Popcorn _ !

Gah! He tugged at his moustache. It was a miracle people found this entertaining, since he just couldn't see it. If anything, he found their antics draining. Since it had all been going so well. After the 'hairy situation', as the chefs have started to call it, they'd actually seemed like they were compromising.

They were training together. Still managing to sleep in the same room together (though how the Eggplant had managed to deal with that one without getting a nosebleed, he had no idea). Hell, they'd even worked out a nifty way so they didn't have to deal with each other during work. They had one half each, and the other couldn't interfere in that half unless explicitly asked for.

Then this happened! To be honest, he'd almost been expecting it. They hadn't had a pirate raid since Strauss got shot, it was about time they'd had another.

The problem was who would deal with it.

"Sanji." Strauss cocked her head innocently, "You know I can fight. I won't get hit."

"Ah, but you're not  _ certain _ of that, Strauss-san. It is foolish to always enter a fight with the thought that you won't be touched."

That was just it wasn't it. Sanji was absolutely petrified that Strauss would end up seriously injured like last time, and Strauss was furious that he wasn't even giving her the option.

And both of them were too stubborn to give an inch.

The pirates poked their captain, whispering something in his ear. He sniggered and raised his cutlass, "Oi oi! You two poshies really must be underestimating us if you're arguing amongst yourselves."

"Huh? You're still there?" Sanji sighed, flicking a hand aimlessly at them, "Can't you shut up or something? We're talking here."

Oh no.

"And we're not arguing." Cocking her head, Strauss acknowledged them out of the corner of her eyes, "We are having a nice.  _ Civilised. _ Conversation! Isn't that right?"

"Absolutely."

Oh come on please no.

"So if you could just hang over there for a moment while we sort this out, that would be  _ much appreciated _ . Just… shoo! Beat it!"

"I mean I can go make them leave and we can talk later?"

Had he paid his insurance for this month? Zeff couldn't quite remember. It was in his stack of papers somewhere, but had he actually _ signed _ it and sent the money over? So he couldn't crack the banisters out of frustration. Damn.

"Ah ah ah~! I see what you're doing there Strauss-san. But I'm honestly insulted that you actually believed that would fool me. Please be serious, _ you can't fight them _ . I'm not letting you."

"And  _ I'm _ insulted that you're thinking that. As I have proven time and time again, I can take care of myself thank you!"

_ No _ !  _ Don't  _ ignore the pirates! That was the worst thing they could do! Why were they both so idiotically stupid?! He was ready to scream. No, really. He  _ so desperately  _ wanted to. If he wasn't so worried about scaring off his customers (and thus waste more food), they would have heard him from the Grand Line and back. It was just… he couldn't deal with this anymore!

Ah… Fuck it.

The air chilled. Candles flickered and blew out. All as Red-Leg Zeff, former captain of the Cook Pirates, descended the spiral staircase. At least… that  _ was _ who it was supposed to be, wasn't it? It… it didn't  _ look  _ like him. His face was dark as night. His body looked larger by the minute, until his very essence filled the room.

"If you damn weaklings don't scram  _ right now _ -" The firey demon stomped his pegleg down onto the tiles, sending shattered fragments skidding over the cowering pirates- "I'll have to give you special reservation down in hell."

The pirates gulped and scrambled to the door. Typical cowards. Normally petty lines like that didn't work, but he was so wound up right now that he could probably say anything and it would be terrifying. Even the customers were sinking back into their chairs, not wanting to make eye contact for once.

Good. He wanted to be terrifying.  _ It felt great _ .

Sanji and Strauss gulped at each other, before murmuring excuses of serving customers and sidling away.

"Not so fast." Ooh he liked how they jumped when he clamped down on their shoulders. It meant that they knew they were guilty.  _ And guilty children needed to be punished _ . "Office. NOW!"

* * *

Slam!

"Do you have any idea how childish you were being!?"

Strauss drooped her head, not wanting to look up, "Sorry Manager..."

"Yeah… Sorry…"

He didn't have to tell them that. Looking back on it, Strauss was shocked at herself. How could she have endangered everyone like that. But all she'd wanted to do was prove herself to Sanji. It was ridiculous how he kept fretting over her like a mother hen.

So ridiculous. She wasn't allowed to fight huh? Then why were they training?  _ For fun _ ?! PLEASE!

And… her emotions had got the best of her. Not one of her proudest moments.

"Geez!" Zeff creaked back in his chair, running a hand down his brow, "You were lucky those pirates were dumb enough to be shocked by your pathetic display!" He slammed a hand down on his desk again, "They could've attacked the customers!"

"We would have stopped them before it got that far!" Sanji insisted, squaring his shoulders.

She winced. Don't retaliate! Just accept the complaint and move on. You had a job to do and you failed. It doesn't matter if you agree with  _ why  _ you failed. The employer is always right. Saying anything else would just dig you into a deeper hole.

Zeff seemed to agree, sighing tiredly, "On a good day, sure. I'm fairly confident that either one of you could've taken them out just fine. But fact is you didn't. You prioritised your petty argument over the safety and wellbeing of the Baratie, and that I find is completely unacceptable."

Strauss couldn't help but nod in agreement. He was right. Gah! She'd never felt more humiliated in all her life! The question was, if she could go back and do it again, would she still argue with Sanji? She pondered for a moment.

Yeah. She definitely would have done the same. Without a doubt. That made her feel slightly better about it at least. Slightly…

"One positive thing I  _ can  _ say though-"

Both she and Sanji pricked up...

"-and that's you at least decided not to scream bloody murder at each other. I don't want another headache."

...and wilted. That really wasn't much of a positive, considering that she and Sanji would have much rather died than showed that sort of unpleasant behaviour in front of the customers. And quite frankly, she would've preferred the screaming. Her cheeks still ached from smiling too much…

"But one thing's for certain," bellowed Zeff, brandishing a finger at them, "And it's that this can't go on any longer! You two need to get your act together, or there  _ will  _ be consequences…"

She could hazard a guess as to what that might be. While she had been mentally preparing to leave the Baratie for some time now, the idea of actually going still stung. Although it wasn't as if she could protest. Zeff had every right to kick them out after acting like that. Especially after all he'd done for her…

"Still," Zeff grumbled, "I don't want to get rid of such talented workers just yet." His face softened, "I won't find people like you brats again."

O...oh! Her fingers fumbled in her lap. Well… that felt… nice. Very nice even…Her cheeks were burning already. Sanji had told her this sort of thing time and time again, but it felt very different when coming from someone she respected. Even Sanji himself had been effected, turning away to hide his own blush under his fringe.

"Don't think for a moment you're getting off free though!"

"O...of course." Strauss raised her head, finally composing herself enough to speak. 

Sanji nodded slowly, not bothering to say a word.

This was fair. A punishment was only natural after what they'd already done. She would take it. Whatever it was.

"You two are going on paid leave for a week starting tomorrow."

She blinked. Huh?

Huuuuuuuuuuuh?!

"Wait!" Sanji reacted first, "Y-you can't be serious!"

"I am perfectly serious thank you," Zeff hummed, looking surprisingly satisfied with himself, "From tomorrow, I don't want to see you in this building between 8 AM and 10 PM."

W... wait… what?! The colour drained from her face. Not in the building!? T-then what could she do!? She'd been planning on doing some cleaning, maybe a bit of training, helping out the chefs… Her fingers fumbled miserably. What else could she do?! And it was more than 12 hours too! What could she do in that time?!

"You two are the worst workaholics I've ever seen. Bout time you've had a break."And if you even think about protesting-" he snickered- "Just remember that I could make you do something far far worse."

"Like what!" Strauss blurted out, "Cleaning the toilets, scraping off barnacles from the base, swimming to the next island, I'll do it!"

Sanji nodded furiously, "Me too. I'll do whatever. Just not leave, please!"

"I'll work so hard, just please let me work!"

"Anything else!"

"SHUT UP!"

Sanji and Strauss shuffled back to their seats like wounded animals, drooping limply with lack of motivation.

Zeff sighed, "Oh come on… Anyone'd think I was firing you, let alone giving you a damn holiday! You guys should be thanking me for this. Just, oh I dunno, go somewhere together! The eggplant can make a packed lunch and you two go sightseeing or something. If you wake up early enough, I'll even let you use the kitchen."

"T-together?!" Sanji stammered weakly, "Y, uh, you mean just me and...and Strauss-san?"

"Obviously. I can't have  _ all  _ my employees leave at once."

This was getting worse by the minute. Not only was she being forced to not work, she'd have to be alone with Sanji to boot! It wasn't anything personal, she enjoyed hanging around him, but that was in the confines of the Baratie. On an island… with actual people going about their day to day lives. It would be impossible! She'd have to drag him away from every lady they saw!

See! His face was flushing already! He was already thinking about all the girls he would be able to meet. At least he wasn't smiling. That smile gave her shivers.

"Now get out of here!" Zeff waved towards the door, "Go make plans and stuff. Figure out what you'd like to do, which islands you're gonna go to, whatever. I've got work to do!"

They trudged silently out, closing the door behind them with a click.

"Well then?" Sanji asked, trying to summon what little enthusiasm he had left, "What exactly do you want to do?"

She shrugged, "I don't mind. You?"

"...you choose."

"Seriously. I haven't had a break from work in years. I don't know what to do."

"Same."

A pause.

They sighed deeply and collapsed against the wall.

"We're terrible with free time."

"Yeah…"

"..."

"..."

"Soooo… Any ideas?"

* * *

In the end they decided to visit their regular supply island. They didn't really know much about anywhere else and when they _ did _ go for supplies, they'd never really had the opportunity to wander round. They'd probably find a bench somewhere and chat.

Or at least that was what Sanji had been expecting. But when he was standing on the small jetty with a pile of lunchboxes in one hand, he found that he was… excited? It wasn't quite the same sort of excitement he normally felt when he was in a fight, nor the same sort when he saw a pretty lady down the road. But he was! He was looking forward to spending a day with his best friend, and no damn cooks trying to mess it up!

"So," Strauss stretched, oblivious to his torment as usual, "Where should we go first? If we talk to our usual suppliers, we might just be able to get discounts for the future. That would help Zeff and the Baratie immensely."

He was starting to see why Zeff had all but shoved them out the door. "Hold up a moment, Strauss-san. We've been given a holiday. If the geezer finds out we've been working behind his back, we'll have hell to pay."

"We won't if he doesn't find out."

"He will and you know it."

"I guess… But I don't like not having anything to do," she sighed.

Neither did he. With nothing to take his mind off things, Sanji found that his mind had already started to wander. Especially with Strauss so close to him… "Let's just wander round for a bit," he did his best to force a smile onto his face, "If you see somewhere you're interested in, just let me know."

"I'm interested in the fishmongers?"

"Nice try. Now come on."

The town of Liput wasn't that big all things considering. It barely took them two hours to walk from one end to the other. But what it lacked in size, it made up for in spirit. Whether it was the buildings made of driftwood and plaster, or the beaming faces of the locals who waved from their shuttered windows, Sanji couldn't help but be filled with a sense of calm. One by one he felt his problems just… melt away. Into the air.

Ah… He needed this. As much as he loved the Baratie, he couldn't deny that there were times when he'd been at his wit's end. Chefs not using the ingredients to their full capacity. Customers disrespecting his food. Men who didn't appreciate the kindness he was giving to their female significant other. They were all pointless. He didn't need to worry about them anymore.

He felt… at peace. Finally.

And there were so many pretty ladies! It was like a buffet for the eyes. A whistling washerwoman here. A young school teacher there. A grinning nurse in that window. He couldn't decide where to look. So much beauty… all in one place. Heaven!

"Quit drooling and talk to them!"

Sanji flinched, and slowly turned to look at the scowling girl next to him. S...shit. He'd actually forgotten Strauss was there. Self consciously, he dabbed his lip. And he'd been  _ literally drooling _ ! Double shit. "M-my mistake, Strauss-san. I'll stop now."

"You say that," she groaned, crossing her arms, "But you'll still be ogling them in a minute, no matter what!"

He couldn't even think of a retort for that. Since it was true. He would. Was it really his fault though?! All he was doing was appreciating the natural beauty of those sent down to Earth from above!  _ Appreciating _ ! Nothing more.

Although… He grinned. Wasn't Strauss protesting a little  _ too  _ much? Perhaps, ooh this would be good, just perhaps.

"Are you by any chance jealous, Strauss-san?"

She scrunched up her face in disgust, " _ Huh _ ?!"

Well… he was wrong then. He wasn't sure what to think about that. That stang. Big time.

"Me?  _ JEALOUS _ ?! You've got to be kidding me." Rolling her eyes, Strauss crossed her arms, "Look, I like you and all, but not like that. You're my friend. End of."

Friend. Sanji felt a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach. Yeah… they were friends! "Sorry," mumbled Sanji, scratching his head, "I misunderstood."

Strauss' face softened, "I figured as much. But I meant what I said. Talk to them!" Grinning, she nudged him in the side, "Can't hurt to try."

Hmm. Sanji considered it for a moment. It would be wonderful to talk to these ladies and hear their dulcet tones fill the air, and he couldn't deny that he'd fantasised about what it would be like to touch his lips to theirs (amongst other more…  _ questionable  _ places) on multiple occasions. But…

But.

He still shook his head, "I'm more than happy to watch from afar. I'm not planning on dating at any time soon."

"Really?" Strauss cocked her head, "I thought you'd be up for more than that. Especially from the way you were drooling…"

"S-shut up!" He yelped, clapping a hand over her mouth. "It's not like that!"

Her wide eyes blinked at him in confusion.

"A...ah!" Sanji lept a full foot backwards. He… He couldn't believe he'd done that! H-how could he… To poor Strauss… And and and he'd just been thinking about lips… Hers were dry but surprisingly soft…

NO!

He bowed instantly, a perfect disguise to hide his glowing face, "I'm so sorry Strauss-san! I didn't do that on purpose I swear!"

"It's fine," she mumbled, rubbing her mouth gently, "It's fine…"

AH! She'd said it twice! She was obviously not fine! Maybe if he knelt down on the ground-

"I was just surprised." Strauss paused for a moment, "I expected you to be one of those people who thinks their life isn't fulfilled unless they're in a relationship."

"Uh…"

What could he say? He didn't want to talk about this sort of thing with  _ Strauss _ of all people. Not when he still felt so confused around her without having any clue why. They'd shared all sorts of stuff, sure, but this was different. It was… more personal.

More… important.

Which was why he opened his stupid mouth, "I guess… that's half true. I've always dreamed about finding a lifelong partner who can light up my world with a single smile. It's unrealistic, but I still wish it could happen. That I'd find a person who's… made for me."

He'd thought she would laugh, but Strauss stayed silent. Listening intently to every word he said, and not judging him in the slightest. It gave him confidence.

"But I'm not going to force that on anyone else." Gah this felt so corny to say! "I know full well that they won't love me back, and I'm not asking them to. Which just makes dating…" He winced.

She waited. Even though she knew exactly what he was going to say, he knew she did, she still waited for him to work up the courage.

"Its painful." His shaky hand reached up to grab his chest. Trying to hide it. "It's… so painful… To think that-"

"-that they might just leave you alone again."

His eyes widened. W-what? How did she… how did she know? No. Wait.  _ Why _ did she know?!

Strauss smiled grimly, "It's just the way the world is sometimes. Personally I think your idea of a perfect romance is a little stupid, but I understand why you don't date." Her face soured, "What's the point of a connection if it's only going to be severed anyways."

"Yeah…" Sanji stammered, "Yeah that's it exactly! I knew you'd underst-"

Strauss' stomach gurgled.

They both fell silent.

She blushed.

"Haha…" Grinning, Sanji threw his head back and let out the loudest peal of laughter he'd ever done, "OF COURSE THIS WOULD GET RUINED BY YOUR STOMACH!"

Pouting, she punched him lightly in the ribs, "Oi… It's not my fault the lunchboxes smell delicious…"

"Right, right." He patted her on the head, knowing full well that she hated it, "Let's go find a good spot to eat this. Before Miss Hungry deafens the entire town with her stomach!"

"Why you…!"

It was true, an ideal storybook romance was unrealistic. He wasn't going to be the knight on a white horse, sweeping the princess off her feet. Nor was he going to meet his soulmate and live happily ever after. Life didn't work that way.

But that didn't matter, Sanji realised as he sprinted through the streets of Liput with a fuming girl hot on his heels. He didn't care anymore! What was wrong with dreaming something as hopeful as that? That was what dreams were. Unrealistic yet desperately wanted.

Strauss rugby tackled him, sending him crashing into the cobblestone.

And who knew? Maybe he'd actually achieve one of his dreams. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halloooo! I am back! Slightly later than I would've liked, but that's because I've had a busy week. I *puffs out chest* am thinking of writing a novel! I know...how dumb is that? But basically I've started a writing course designed to help budding authors with their first novel. So with that and getting back to uni, I'm going to be relatively busy. Sorry in advance!
> 
> Just one thing I quickly wanted to clear up! I'm not just going to focus on the romance here. Strauss is a character in this universe, and the actions she does WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES. I think we can clearly see one or two that might be blinking on the horizon here... HMMMMMMM. (I'll let you guys figure those ones out). I have Strauss' 'future story' planned out in full. I know exactly what path she will be taking and what that means for the rest of the story. While this is primarily a romance fic, I don't want to make it the full focus. In a complex world like One Piece's... that sort of feels disrespectful.
> 
> That's all from me for now! Have a nice day everyone, and STAY SAFE FOR PETE'S SAKE! Especially in the UK...it's getting mad out here. (Send help pls)


	10. Fissures

"Take me back."

"No."

"I said take me back!"

"And I said  _ no _ !" Ace scowled, snarling back at the  _ absolutely insufferable  _ women he'd had thrust on his hands. If he had known how much of a pain in the arse she'd be he would've just left her then and there, bawling companion and all.

Especially since now he was stuck in the middle of a literal ocean with the chick and there was barely two square meters of space to sit on.

"Look," he eventually sighed, "Even if I wanted to take you back, which I don't-" he hastily added- "I  _ can't _ ." He tapped a fingernail against his eternal pose, "I traded my Alabata pose for this one, and from what you've told me your log is still set to an island you've already been to. Now we can go there if you want-"

"-bad idea." The steel haired woman (he couldn't be bothered to ask for her name) grimaced, "I was told that the Log would take a year to set there."

"Well there you have it!" Ace tossed his arms into the air, "You're stuck with me then."

Hissing, she skulked to the furthest corner she could. Which only ended up being three feet away from him. Strider wasn't exactly the biggest of boats. "I just can't believe that they were in Alabasta. I was so damn close. Just what the hell was that Okama thinking, sending me off with a random stranger. Ridiculous."

Yeah, it was ridiculous. He'd only accepted because the guy was prostrating himself on the ground and he didn't want to make too much of a scene. Ace sighed, pushing back his hat to massage his forehead. Well, he didn't have much of a choice now. He wasn't heartless enough to leave her alone in the middle of the ocean.

Which meant that they had to cooperate. Something she too had realised, judging by the scowl on her face.

"So…" Ace scratched his head, an action he had been told was 'seductive', "Why're you after Luffy? You have a grudge or something?" It was unlikely (unless she was planning to nag his brother to death) but he had to ask.

Maybe he'd get to kick her off after all.

But to his astonishment, her face began to soften. The hard lines of wrinkled brows and tight skin, loosened. She almost looked… pretty. It had been hard to tell with that permanent frown on her face. He'd thought she was in her twenties before, but now… she almost looked the same age as Luffy.

Hang on. Looking for the Straw Hats… A reaction when he said Luffy's name… And she was a similar age to him...

Alarm bells began ringing. Had Luffy gotten a girlfriend before him?  _ Luffy _ ?! And one with brain cells to boot?! He wasn't sure what he was more annoyed about, that Luffy didn't deserve her or that she didn't deserve him…

"Well I'm not looking for Straw Hat himself." A glimmer of a smile threatened to spread over her face. "One of his crewmates. We're… old friends."

Ah. Ace felt a little foolish at the relief flooding into him. Luffy was still single. All was well in the world. But he couldn't help but feel a little curious. "Who exactly?"

"Sanji."

"Ah. The cook?"

"That's the one."

Thinking back Ace couldn't remember much about the guy, other than that he'd had a cigarette and had been fawning over the one female on Luffy's crew. Huh… He paused for a moment. No. No matter how many scenarios he thought of, he just couldn't see that flirt and this stick in the mud getting along with each other. Never mind being  _ friends _ .

But hey, who was he to judge. Perhaps she was actually nice now that they were actually talking instead of arguing.

"Soo-" He leant back against the mast, sending just a few flames through his feet to get Strider moving- "Why're you following him then?"

"Because I need to find him."

"Well yeah, but  _ why _ ?"

Her mouth opened… then closed. Ace didn't say anything, aware that she might need to think about this for a little moment to decide whether to tell an absolute stranger. Or something. He couldn't get a read on this chick. Eventually she glanced up at him, the most conflicted expression on her face.

"I don't know."

* * *

* * *

They were bored. Very,  _ very _ , bored.

As it turned out, exploring the small coastal town only took two days at best. So now Strauss and Sanji were just lounging on a bench being blankly hypnotised by the rows of bobbing masts in the harbour.

And they had four more days of this to go...

"What now?" Strauss muttered under her breath. "We could people watch?"

"Nah," Sanji replied instantly.

She raised an eyebrow, "Funny. I thought you would've wanted to check out the ladies."

Hissing, he glared at her, "Thanks."

Well… she wasn't wrong. The ladies around here were simply lovely, and he enjoyed watching each and every one of them. However… he didn't really want to do it around Strauss. She would probably be fine with it (hell, she seemed like she was more enthusiastic than he was) but it was still… It was just…

His brow twitched.

He couldn't talk about it with a girl alright! There! He admitted it! It just felt weird to gush over a ladies, ahem,  _ assets _ in front of another lady herself. It didn't matter that Strauss was by far the closest friend he'd ever had, the fact was she was still female.

And if he was being honest with himself… he probably wouldn't have talked about this with a guy either. It felt too sappy. This was a personal thing, as he liked to word it.

"What about you?" He chimed in, trying to dissuade some of the awkward boredom, "Any guys out there you like?"

Actually come to think of it, there were a few relatively good looking men around. Men with big torsos and building muscles from working on the docks and fishing boats. Sanji instantly felt more aware about how skinny he was in comparison. But still… He grinned. This could be an excellent time to find out what exactly Strauss' type was.

To make sure they were worthy of her of course. That was it. There was no other reason whatsoever. None in the slightest.

She groaned, "I'm not exactly into all that stuff, Sanji."

"Oh no you don't." He grinned eagerly, nudging her in the elbows, "You got me to fess up about what I think of relationships. Now it's your turn."

"But-!"

"No buts! Go on!"

"Come oooon…"

"We have the rest of the day with absolutely nothing to do; I'm very willing to keep pushing until you fess up. Unless you can think of a better idea that is…"

A seagull screeched from the rooftop behind them.

"Fine…"

"Great!" Sanji beamed toothily, spreading his arms out to gesture at the wide range of people going about their business. "Well then, any guy out there that you like?"

So I can beat their face in, he thought to himself. He needed them to know what would happen if they disrespected his friend.

Strauss snorted derisively, "Bold of you to assume I only like guys."

He blinked. And cocked his head. "Eh?"

"What?" She asked limply, "You wanted to know. I answered."

What was she… She wasn't… Nah there was no way… No way in… But actually… Yeah maybe… That could be kinda hot...

"I'm not a lesbian if that's what you're thinking."

Sanji gaped at her. "Huh?" How the hell had she known?!

In response, she tapped the side of her mouth.

Oh. Sanji flushed, scrubbing away the line of drool before the public noticed, "So you  _ do _ like guys then?"

"Yeah."

Sanji let out a tiny sigh of relief.

"And I like girls too."

And promptly choked.

"I just like people for being  _ people _ ." She shrugged absentmindedly, "Gender isn't really a big thing for me. I mean…" Smirking, she gestured towards him, "I think you of all people should realise that by now."

There was so much Sanji found confusing about that sentence. So damn much. But he stayed silent. People had their preferences after all. There had been many a time in the Baratie when Sanji was met with a pair of lovely ladies, only to be shooed of after being told they were on a date. He respected that. It took a lot of bravery, especially for some North Blue cultures especially, to be open about relationships like that.

So why did he feel so icky about it? Honestly he felt appalled at himself for being like that. But he just couldn't get his head around the idea of Strauss flirting with a girl… Actually that might be because she didn't flirt full stop. He didn't know! He was just confused!

A sudden movement in front of his face sent him recoiling back.

"Ah," Strauss moved her hand back, "So you are awake in there. I thought I'd shocked you into silence or something."

"Me?! Shocked! N-now why would I be shocked?! It's… it's perfectly fine for you to like b-both genders. Perfectly fine!"

Gah! Him and his dumb mouth. Could the ground do him a favour for once and swallow him up? Since that would be much appreciated right now.

"Honestly it's no big deal. You don't have to agree with me if you want. And it's not like I've ever been in a relationship." Strauss sighed, staring up at a cawing seagull on the sign opposite them. "For all I know, I could be completely wrong. I might have misinterpreted myself completely."

"That doesn't matter though," Sanji found himself muttering, "I've been in a relationship either, but I'm pretty certain that I know what I like."

She snorted, "Now there's a funny idea…"

Oh god. Sanji glared at her, "Don't even think about it. My heart is for the ladies-"

"-and the ladies alone." Strauss rolled her eyes mockingly, "I think I've heard that one  _ far  _ too many times. But think about it; couldn't you be wrong? What makes you so sure that you'll never date guys?"

He opened his mouth to say that 'he just was', before pursing his lips. No. This wasn't an innocent question not expecting a serious answer. She was asking out of genuine curiosity. He'd better give a good answer.

Sanji tried to imagine himself dating another guy. And baulked. It just felt…  _ wrong _ . It wasn't that the relationship itself was wrong, he'd served a few same sex couples at the Baratie (very discretely, he wouldn't even have known unless he hadn't seen them holding hands under the table) and found them cute more than anything else. it was just that… it didn't work for him. He couldn't define what or why, but that's just the way it was.

"Well…" Sanji eventually said, making sure he chose each word individually. "I've… never actually thought about it before..."

Sighing, she slumped back, "Fair enough. Sorry for asking. I guess… I was just curious-"

" _ But _ !" He chimed in before she could bash herself even more, "You don't need reasons. Love is…" Sanji hesitated. This was going above and beyond the limit of what he was willing to tell people, including Zeff. This was different to what he thought of relationships. This was… more mushy.

It didn't matter how much he trusted her. He didn't want to open up that much.

And so they drifted back to silence. So… they didn't, and fell back into comfortable silence. And stifling boredom. Sanji glanced up, watching the twisting smoke from his cigarette blend into the grey skies above. They really should've bought coats. 

"We could always help out you know."

He blinked, "Hm?"

"Well we're bored aren't we," Strauss gestured to the people scurrying around the harbour, "Might as well do odd jobs for people while we're here."

"Of course you want to do work…"

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing…" he groaned, massaging his forehead. Ridiculous... Zeff gave them this time to take a break, not work harder. Although it wasn't as if he could blame her. What else did they have to do?

And if Sanji was being honest with himself, a rarity these days, the idleness was driving him out of his damn mind.

"Fine." He stood first, turning towards her with a sigh, "But you're not doing any heavy lifting, alright?"

She ignored his proffered hand and got up by herself, "Okay."

"I know you don't want to, but listen to me for once…" Hang on had she just agreed with him? Sanji paused for a moment to let that fully sink in. She had… She'd actually agreed with him, hadn't she. Without arguing for once.

"I wouldn't have done any even if you hadn't asked me." She stretched above her head, rolling the cricks out her shoulders, "Lifting isn't really my thing."

Sanji held a hand in front of her mouth. "Shh!"

"...Hu-?"

" _ Shhh! _ "

"Sanji what are you-?"

"Just be quiet for a moment."

She raised an eyebrow but did as he'd asked. For about ten seconds, "The hell're you doing?"

"Letting this sink in," he replied, eyes shut, "Little longer please." He needed to relish this. To  _ savour _ every moment. This was a rare occurrence. He couldn't pass this up.

Besides, it was fun to rile her up.

"I'm leaving."

"Oi! Wait up! You need to be careful, Strauss-san; who knows what sort of danger you could run into."

"I think there's only one thing I'm in danger from."

"And that is?"

"You giving me an aneurysm if you don't  _ shut up _ ."

Yeah. Riling her up was always fun.

* * *

"Where do you want me to tie this?"

"Just on that weathervane over there. Ye sure you're alright up there, missy?"

"I'm fine." Strauss called down, weaving her way across the rooftops to tie the bunting in place. "All done."

The workmen below chuckled, "Just as well we had you around. This is always a pain to get done in time."

"These muscles aren't exactly going anywhere," another grinned, flexing to raucous laughter.

Strauss rolled her eyes as she dropped back down to the ground. For all the mockery they were doing, she couldn't deny that they had a point. Working on the docks was great for strength and endurance, but wasn't exactly the best for flexibility. Not to mention that the way the rows of flags twisted under and over and around each other… Well she was fine with that, obviously, but an ordinary person would've had a problem.

"Why do you even need to make it this complicated?" she asked as she dropped down between the lines of rippling orange and red triangles. "Just string them up in lines. Wouldn't that be enough?"

To her surprise the dockworkers burst into raucous laughter, some having to support themselves on their peer's shoulders. One of the more bolder ones even had the gall to wipe an imaginary tear from his eye. Strauss blinked, torn between wanting to ask what the hell was so funny and an urge to take the money and go. 

Fortunately her mind was made up for her. "String 'em up in lines?" A haggard man chortled, "Are ye daft?!"

A vein tensed in her forehead. Why you...

"Oi oi…" The boss of the crew waved a hand, dissuading the tension in an instant, "Cut it out. The kid's a foreigner. She doesn't know about the Leaf Dance Festival."

She couldn't help but tense at the taboo word, and hated herself for it. Yet curiosity won out in the end, "There is a festival?"

The man grinned toothily at her, "What? You thought we were putting up all these decorations for nothing?"

Her face flushed. Best not to answer that…

"Look-" he slapped her back so hard she gagged, "Yeah it's hella complicated, but you'll understand tomorrow when the festival's in full swing."

Stretching out the newly formed kinks in her back, she shrugged, "Well I'm not going to the festival am I? So how would I understand?"

The workers blinked at each other, "You're not?"

"Why would I be?"

Festivals were never really her thing. Even if she had the opportunity to go to one, she never did. They were just… ah what's the word… awkward. Chances were she'd just end up glowering in a corner. Since she just couldn't understand what they were for? What was the point in wasting a good day of work, a good day of  _ pay _ , all to get drunk and ramble on about a strange divine intervention that probably never happened. Sure there might be free food, which made a change from scraps, but she'd take cash over that anyday.

Not to mention that there was always dancing. Which made her always want to jo…

"Oh I shouldn't." She repeated, not sure who exactly she was talking to. "I'm an outsider after all. This should just be a local thing."

"Psh! We've never cared about that sorta thing." Strauss had to cough once more as a very beefy arm got thrown over her shoulder, "Everyone's welcome. So come on." Boss punched her arm, "You'll love it."

"Uh…"

"There's good drink too!" A man in the back piped up.

"I'm underaged-"

"No worries. There's mulled cider and apple juice."

"Well…"

"Plus the music's great!"

"I don't…"

"You'll have a blast! Just give in already!"

"Huh?"

And then the onslaught began. Seriously. She was lucky to not be deafened by the amount of screaming. As it was, the number of playful back slaps she got was enough to make her eyes spin so much that she actually passed out on the floor.

A dozen fully grown ship workers dogpiling a girl just to make her come to their party? Yeah, that was fair. Thank god she hadn't got a concussion.

"So," Sanji asked her at the Baratie that night, "Are you going?"

Strauss scowled at him, still massaging her temple, "I'd rather not..."

"Well I am." He leant towards the mirror once more, checking for the twentieth time that both his eyebrows were identical. "I think it'll be fun."

"Traitor…" she hissed out the corner of her lips.

"I heard that."

She rolled her eyes, "You were meant to."

"Look-" Sanji put his tweezers back in his grooming kit and released his fringe from the hair slide- "I  _ have _ to go. I promised Mrs Ling that I'd help with the food stalls. I can't go back on my word, now can I?"

Ah, so that's why he was so up for going. Understandable really. Aside from the meals they shared together Sanji didn't really have the opportunity to make food for people anymore. Of course he would jump at the chance to cook for others. 

"Bit of a surprise you're so against it though."

"Mm?"

"Well…" He gestured pathetically at her, "Festivals have free food…"

"So I must automatically love them?" She scowled, slumping onto the floor. "I get where you're coming from, but they just aren't my thing."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Swaying a little, she stared at the worn floorboards above her. She could say this couldn't she? This was Sanji after all. But she didn't want him to find out how selfish and inconsiderate she was. What if he judged her for it? Even worse, he could  _ hate _ her.

"Are you alright, Strauss-san?"

Her teeth dug into her cheek. No. She didn't have the right to worry about that at this point. Not after everything she'd done. And he'd asked her. It would be rude not to talk about it.

"Everything closes during a festival." A pause, hoping he'd be able to figure it out on his own. He didn't. "There's no work."

She felt terrible as soon as she'd said it. It was just so  _ rude _ . But she couldn't forget the heart wrenching feeling that had shot through whenever she'd seen the 'Closed' sign on the shops. The thought that she was going to be useless that day.

"The food was good though," she admitted, in a pitiful effort to try and lighten the mood, "Warm too. It's just… I had priorities. You know?"

Was it just her or did Sanji look a little funny. For some reason, she couldn't quite read his expression. Odd. Normally he was an open book.

"Priorities?" She could barely hear him, his mutter only slightly louder than the rain beginning to patter on their porthole, "What priorities?"

Ah. Well, it was a reasonable question. She grimaced nonetheless though. It was just… how to explain it without revealing too much. While she was close to Sanji (she really was. Definitely the best friend she'd ever had), she hadn't actually known him for that long. It wasn't right to dump all her emotional baggage on him. Especially since it was clear he had some of his own.

She didn't want to tell him though. Not when it was a time she would rather forget.

"What priorities?" He repeated when she didn't answer, tapping his chin pensively, "What would possibly be so important that you would rather turn down food when you're on the brink of starvation to… to  _ work _ ? I just can't figure it out."

"Can we stop here-"

"Were the people in your hometown rude to you? Since I can go beat them up if that's what you're worried about"

Her heart sank. "Sanji…"

"Did the kids bully you or something? I remember you saying that they called you 'Granny'; did they send you away from festivals?"

"That's not it…"

"Were you being forced to starve yourself?! Since if so

"I NEEDED THE CASH, OKAY?!" 

Silence. Save for the steadily rising rain outside.

"You needed-"

"The cash." Her face turned crimson. "Yeah."

More silence.

"Why?"

Strauss turned away. She couldn't look him in the eyes, she just couldn't. Not when she couldn't answer that question. Shuddering, she crossed her arms over her chest.

She… she really didn't want to remember that humiliation.

"Why did you need the money, Strauss-san _. _ "

Just breathe Strauss. In and out… In and out…

"Or… should I ask  _ who _ needed the money."

Her heart caught in her throat, choking the life out of her. H-how did… How the hell did he…

"I see." Behind her, Sanji sucked in a breath, "I figured that was it. You're not that sort of person. I take it you won't tell me anything else?"

A shake of the head. That was all she needed to do. Just a little shake. But it felt more like trying to move a stone. She managed it though.

"You're an idiot you know."

...huh?

She could barely react as a hand grabbed her shoulder and forced her to spin around.

Sanji glared down at her, somehow managing to tower over her with those two extra inches of height he had. "Was money honestly more important to you than food?"

Oh  _ god _ . She'd made him angry. The angriest she'd ever seen him. Normally when they were yelling at each other he was just frustrated, not this. This was far more raw of an emotion than mere frustration.

His freezing cold eye glared at her, "Were you seriously willing to  _ starve  _ yourself just so you could get a few coins?"

In a way, it… it was more terrifying than when he was screaming at her. Since she knew where he was coming from. It wasn't right for someone who had experienced malnutrition, for someone who had experienced that hell so badly that they couldn't eat proper food for  _ months  _ afterwards, to reveal that they would rather go hungry if they got some money. It was so selfish. So hypocritical, and disrespectful to those who were starving out there.

He was right to be angry at her. She was angry at herself.

"I'm sorry."

The grip on her shoulder weakened, letting her thump gracelessly onto the floor. She didn't bother picking herself up. Why would she. She was in the wrong her. She just hoped, she really hoped, that Sanji would forgive her for being so selfish.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, bowing her head. "P-please forgive me."

"Stop that."

"I'm really sorry-"

"I said stop that!"

Was this the end then? Was she going to loose her best friend; her  _ only _ friend?

A pair of slender arms wrapped around her, "You don't need to apologize, you idiot."

H...huh? Just… what was going on? Wh… why was Sanji… But she was wrong wasn't she? Wasn't she going to be yelled at?

"I'm not angry that you needed the money," he mumbled over her shoulder, "I'm sorry I made it seem that way, but that's not the case." A snort, "It's not like  _ buying _ food is a think, you know?"

Strauss let out a weak chuckle despite herself.

"No." He squeezed her tighter. "You're not wrong for wanting money."

She wasn't? That was… that was confusing to think about. "Why then?" She had to ask, "Why  _ were _ you angry."

"It's just… you don't have to kill yourself for anyone."

What?

"You don't have to put your life and happiness on the line to help people." Sanji sighed, the feeling sending goosebumps down her neck, "I don't know who you were getting money for, or why you needed it-"

Strauss flinched.

"-but it's not your responsibility to help everyone. You're important too. I..." His hands dug into her shirt. "I… I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for something you don't have to. You're my friend, i… it  _ hurts  _ to see you put yourself down like this. And I guess that's why I… overreacted. I'm sorry."

The room started to swirl before her eyes. Strauss bit her lip, trying to keep the tears at bay. And failed. But Sanji didn't mind. If anything he seemed relieved, gently patting her back as she cried the remnants of her self criticism and doubt into his shirt. Both of them knew that this wouldn't solve anything instantly. One small conversation couldn't undo years upon years of low self-esteem.

"You're allowed to live for yourself, Strauss."

But at least it was a step in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Hi
> 
> Yeah I know. It's been a while. And I'm sorry about that. Genuinely, I didn't mean to not post for this long. But stuff's happened. Not anything major mind, but a lot has come together and I couldn't handle it for a while. Uni is taking more out of me than I realised; online uni is draining my soul, I now have two assessments due in within a week of each other, and to top it all off I have three fic's I am supposed to keep on top of . My usual write time was about 1,000 words a day during the summer, and now I'm lucky if I get 200. My productivity's done down a lot.
> 
> So... yeah. I'm stressed. If there's any reason why this particular chapter feels disjointed, that's the main one. Thank you all so, SO much for being patient with me for the time being. While updates are going to be a hell of a lot slower than they used to, I want to make it very clear that I'M NOT GIVING UP ON A SINGLE ONE OF MY FICS!!! I love them all, and while I'm planning on wrapping one up fairly soon (you're going to have to guess which), I'm never going to abandon one without warning. Never. Writing these and seeing your reactions and comments honestly makes my day ten times better, no matter how I'm feeling.
> 
> Once again, thank you all so much for continuing to stick with me. I hope that this chapter isn't too much of a disappointment (like seriously. I don't even know what I wrote)
> 
> I'll see you all... next time. Whenever that is.


	11. Changing Tides

He found himself skidding back a few paces before he could right himself, coating his once polished dress shoes under yet another layer of sand. Sanji grimaced, taking a moment to swipe a line of blood away from his eye. Standing across from him, that damn body switching bastard giggled irritatingly.

This was bad. He wasn't getting anywhere with this guy. Turned out those number agents could actually put up a fight. He winced. And Vivi-chan had been planning on dealing with these guys alone.

It made him sick.

"Oh?" Mr 2 Bon Kurei crooned, "Giving up already."

Sanji growled- "As if-" and leapt forwards with his leg outstretched, "Collier…"

Instantly that makeup coated face got replaced with his beloved Nami-san's, "Ah~! You wouldn't hit little old me would you~?"

Dammit! He averted the attack, the unspent momentum from his swing leaving him in a horribly vulnerable position. Wincing, Sanji braced himself for the inevitable counter attack.

Except… it didn't come.

Aha! So his theory was correct.

As soon as he recovered, Sanji hopped back until he felt certain that his opponent couldn't reach him. After that, he smirked, "I've got your trick now."

The false Nami-san blinked innocently at him, "What trick?"

"Though I may not be able to harm you when you are masquerading as a lady, you're not able to attack me either are you?"

"Why you…" Nami-san tapped her face to revert back to Mr 2's. "I have been honing my form for  _ years _ to perfect my okama-kenpo! Without my perfect physique it is nigh impossible to mimic my attacks!"

Sanji couldn't help but snort at that. Now who did that sound like? Ah he hoped she was doing alright. Were the cooks at the Baratie treating her with the respect she deserved?

"Unless…" Out of nowhere Mr 2's eyes grew to twice their original size. Skin paling whiter than that thick foundation, the man crouched down and started muttering to himself. Much to Sanji's confusion. "Oh… I  _ could  _ do that… But oooh I do not want to betray our friendship…I don't I don't  _ I don't _ !"

Fuck… now's not the time to reminisce on old times you damn pretty boy. Grimacing, Sanji tapped the toes of his shoes against the floor in anticipation. At least it meant he had a heads up in figuring out what exactly he would do about this.

Honestly he'd thought that his revelation would've been the end of it. There weren't exactly many people who had that sort of physique after all, and far fewer females at that. But if by some stroke of bad luck this dude had managed to find one of those females…

No. Don't think about it. He'd find a way. He just knew it!

"Alright I'll do it! It is a sacrifice I that I shall have to make! For Zero-chan, and for my queen!"

Sanji gulped. A sacrifice? What was this idiot planning to do now?

"Ah…" Mr 2 sniffled, raising a hand to his face, "Forgive me my dear, dear friend! I shall repay you someday I swear!"

He switched.

And Sanji felt his heart thud to a stop.

Pale skin covered in numerous scars and callouses. Muted green eyes that he knew like the back of his hand. And that grey hair, the colour of polished steel, that was only just beginning to grow down beyond her shoulders.

"Ahh… I should be able to fight like this! I always knew she hadn't reached her true potential!"

"What…" He stammered blankly. "How… She… She's not…"

How the hell did this bastard get her face. How?! She was supposed to be on the other side of the Red Line! He was certain of it!

"Well then," Fake Strauss beamed at him, her face twisted into something that just seemed so un-her, "Do you want to rethink that weakness hm?"

Sanji's knuckles whitened. That  _ bastard _ .

"Is something wrong?" Strauss, no,  _ Fake Strauss _ cocked her head, pouting in a way that Sanji just knew that the real girl would hate. "Oh!" She came to a realisation, "You… Are you the one Straussy's looking for!? The cook, Sanji!?"

He knew her name. Hell, he'd even given her a nickname. A  _ nickname _ ! And what was that bulshit about being the one she's looking for? That seemed to mean that Strauss was somewhere in the Grand Line searching after him. But she couldn't be! She wouldn't do something as stupid as that. She wouldn't…

Oh what was he thinking, of course she would.

"Ah well this changes things!" Sanji didn't so much as blink as a newly transformed Mr 2 began pirouetting circles around him, "Truuuce~ Truuuce~ We can go back to fighting later, I wanna talk about my dear Straussy for a moment! She's one of my bestest friends and I wanted to know more about her..."

Sanji's eyebrow twitched.

His… dear… Straussy...?

Mr 2 was out cold and stuck through a wall before he was even aware of the throbbing lump on the back of his head. Scowling, Sanji fumbled in his pocket for a cigarette. But even his trusty release didn't help stifle the sheer rage seething through his body.

Strauss. On the Grand Line.  _ Alone _ .

The cigarette snapped between his fingers. 

God he was tempted to wake up that idiot and interrogate him about everything he knew, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle all that babbling. As he thought about it more, Sanji kicked the limp body again. Just for good measure. And his own pent up anger.

Sanji lit another cigarette for his nerves. Didn't work. Well, he'd sort of expected that anyways. Who would be calm about something like this. Something glinted from the weirdo's pockets. Oh yeah, Usopp's goggles. That was why he'd set out to fight this guy in the first place wasn't it. He picked them up, finally coming to a decision.

Alright. He would think about this later. Right now Vivi-chan needed him. And afterwards… afterwards…

He had one hell of a headache to think about.

* * *

* * *

"You can go and have fun you know."

"Shuddup," Strauss growled under her breath, "I'm having fun right where I am."

Behind her Sanji sighed, barely audible under the hiss of the grill, "Look, I was asked to cook. I  _ have  _ to be here. You don't. So go and dance with the others already. It's fine."

"Then who will serve the food?"

"You don't have to serve the food! It's buffet sty-! Oi! Oi Strauss get back here!"

She rolled her eyes and continued walking away with a tray of still sizzling kebabs balanced in each hand. He could scream all he wanted, she still wouldn't listen to him. 'Go have fun' her ass! She hadn't even wanted to come! Sanji should just let her do what she wanted instead of nagging her all the time.

Besides, she smiled as a bunch of her fisherman friends grabbed handfuls of kebabs and burgers from her tray, she liked being the waitress. She was liked, but not in the spotlight. Suited her just fine.

At least no one had groped her yet. Which would be quickly followed by Sanji 'defending her honour' or something like that. She called that a win. 

On the working side of things, the festival wasn't actually that bad. She could just mingle and feel purposeful about it. She was useful, instead of trying her hardest to figure out how to melt into a shadowy corner. And the colours and cheery music were quite pleasant when you were in the thick of it.

Instead of looking in from the outside.

It was interesting too. While she was used to this sort of thing at the Baratie, it was a whole different story in a more informal environment. The customers exchanged playful banter with her, yelling merrily across the plaza if they needed her to come over. Instead of being rude, it really made her feel like she was interacting with the festival goers, and less like a simple member of staff.

One thing she didn't like was that clean up was now a constant job instead of exchanging tablecloths and eating utensils after each customer or mopping up at the end of the day. Litter was everywhere, most people leaving their dirty plates or glasses on a ledge, a bench, or even the floor. It was appalling! Especially in such a happy environment. People needed to be more responsible with their waste! At least some people had got the idea and started to give their rubbish to her. That always made her feel slightly better.

"Here." A plate got shoved in her face during one of her trips back to the barbeque to refill her trays. "Eat."

She cocked an eyebrow, surveying the dish curiously, "Why?"

Sanji groaned, "Have you lost track of the time already? It's nearly 6pm by my watch; you need to eat something."

Was it really that late? Frowning, she glanced up at the sky. Huh… The sun was nearing the horizon, painting the sky in broad brushstrokes of colour. She'd been so caught up in her job that she hadn't even noticed. That being said… she wasn't exactly ready to stop working just yet. There was rubbish that needed clearing, and it was getting to the moment in a festival where people ignore the non-alcoholic drinks in favour of the real thing. The liquor stall was going to be overwhelmed without her help. Food could wait for a bit.

"I'm not hungry."

"Don't you try that with me," he scowled, waving the plate more. "If you don't eat soon enough even the  _ fishmen _ are going to hear your stomach growl. That thing is noisy."

Ugh… " _ Fine _ ," she hissed, taking the plate begrudgingly, "I guess I can take five minutes off…"

"Oh no you don't." Sanji wagged a finger at her, "Like it or not, we are under Zeff's 'work prohibition' right now. If he finds out that not only are we disregarding his orders we're doing it for  _ free _ , all hell on earth is going to break loose and rain down chaos on both of us." A smirk played at his lips, "You wouldn't want that now would you?"

Strauss sighed, considering any alternatives possible yet not finding any that were satisfying. She didn't want Sanji to be dragged down just because of her stubbornness. While he was technically 'working' with you, he was actually cooking for once instead of serving with you. And he was actually enjoying it too. Any compliment about the food, made his entire face light up so much the guy was practically glowing. It wasn't fair on him to be punished.

"Fine…" she conceded weakly, "I'll take a break."

"You promise?"

"Yeah."

"You aren't going to go back on your word?"

"I won't!"

For a moment he just stood there, eyes narrowing into slits. Strauss stared back with equal intensity. Then-

"I don't believe you."

Strauss bristled, "Why the hell don't you believe me!? I already promised I'd take a break, alright!? Get off my case!"

Sanji promptly ignored her, instead calling back to the women manning the other stalls, "Mrs Ling, Mrs Peabody, is it okay if I take my lunch break now?"

"Oh no worries, Sanji dear," the older of the two smiled kindly, "It's relatively quiet right now. Astrid and I can handle ourselves just fine. You kids go off and enjoy your date! Young love is a treasure you know."

"Oh… uh…" Not again. Sanji and Strauss glanced at each other tiredly, "We're not…"

"Run along now," her companion giggled, "Don't let us old busybodies keep you."

They gave up. There was no point talking to a brick wall, and honestly they were getting sick of this. Seriously, couldn't a guy and a girl just be friends? Platonically? Even Sanji was looking more annoyed than usual, which was saying something.

"They kept going on about it while I was cooking," he admitted when they had both settled down in one of the more deserted corners. "I tried to explain it to them- I really did- but they just wouldn't listen to me.

"It's alright. Not like it's hurting anyone," she shrugged, taking a large bite of the burger. And had to resist a moan. Damn Sanji and his seasonings… it was hard to be annoyed at him when he made food taste this good. The burger was gone within four bites. Four very large, and very long bites.

Maybe taking a break wasn't so bad.

She turned towards Sanji to see if he was enjoying himself (this was his idea! If he wasn't having fun she was gonna be mad), only to see him staring back at her with a strange bemused expression on his face.

And more damningly, an untouched burger.

"You gonna eat that or…"

"Huh?" Sanji blinked, as if waking from a deep slumber. He glanced down at his food, "Oh! Uh… Yeah I'll eat. It's just… Uh… I was…" He shot abruptly away and began wolfing down his food, bright pink ears peaking out from under his hair.

Strauss' eyes narrowed. He was blushing… that was never good. But they were just friends weren't they. Completely platonic friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Although… she frowned. There was definitely something that could get him this confused.

"Are you still frustrated that we get mistaken as a couple all of the time?"

She seemed to have hit the nail on the head. Sanji gaped a moment, frowned a moment, before eventually nodding, "It just doesn't seem fair on you, y'know."

Now that she had  _ not _ expected, "Huh?"

"Well… It…" He sighed, "Now, this is going to sound stupid, so I don't want you to laugh, but…" Eyes flickering all over the place, he seemed anything but calm. "It makes it sound like I deserve to be with someone like you."

Eh?

Strauss blinked.

_ EH?! _

"I know, it sounds so stupid to say it out loud," blurted Sanji, words tripping over his tongue so fast that they almost blurred together, "But you're so perfect and beautiful and wonderful and I'm…" his shoulders slumped, "I'm just...me."

She couldn't help it. "Pfffffffffffffffffft!"

"Oi!" Sanji recoiled, somewhat betrayed at Strauss' impromptu giggle fit, "I told you I didn't want you to laugh!"

"Me? Perfect?!" She wiped a tear from her eye, "How can I  _ not _ laugh!"

He stared at her, "But you  _ are _ perfect…?"

"Okay okay okay!" With one final wheeze she straightened, face still flushed from overintensive laughter, "I can't cook for the life of me."

"What are you-?"

"I've tried, so many damn times, but it always ends up as a hunk of black goo; even water," she added somewhat proudly.

"How the hell do you manage that…" he muttered.

"No clue. It just  _ happens _ . But that's not the end of it!" She leant forwards, "I mean you said it yourself; I'm a workaholic. So much of a workaholic, in fact, that I had to be given a punishment to not work for a week."

"I got that punishment too-"

"Shuddup, you get the point. So I'm hardly perfect. Or wonderful. And probably not that pretty, from what I've been told. So don't you give me that shit about being 'not worthy' of me, since I'm a pretty bad human being. And what do you mean 'you're just you'; you're cool too! You can cook for one. Not to mention that you're kind, polite, and have actual manners." Reaching out, she gave his forehead a gentle flick, "So what if you're not perfect. I'm not either. Doesn't stop us from being friends."

He gaped at her, before breaking out a smile, "Yeah… I guess you would say that wouldn't you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing… nothing…" Wolfing down the rest of his burger, Sanji offered his hand towards her, "Right then. We should get back to our posts. You coming?"

Sighing, she gave a small smile back. She was glad this had got smoothed over. Experience had told her that these things were always better out in the open. Stifling true feelings and emotions never worked.

It never worked.

"GYAAAAAAH!"

* * *

The scream pierced the air like a bullet, instantly snapping Sanji out of his thoughts. Just as well really. He hadn't known that Strauss would take his excuse so passionately, and felt more than a little bit guilty about it. He also felt guilty about using such a potential for his own gain, but it couldn't be that bad could it? Someone probably got cut on a shard or glass, or accidentally spilt alcohol down them. A scream could mean a whole bunch of things. No need to assume the worse.

The joyful atmosphere froze. Only for it to be replaced with mild panic and hysteria.

Okay...so perhaps assuming the worst was the right thing to do here.

Together he and Strauss pushed past the crowd, making their way towards what must be the epicentre of the chaos.

"Bwahaha!" The stout figure cackled, thumping… his? No, wait, was it a her? She was wearing some form of lipstick… and those dips on her chest  _ could _ be defined as breasts... Even so she didn't exactly seem like any female he knew about, but then again neither had Strauss the first time they'd met. He was going to take the benefit of the doubt this time. Anyhow, the  _ gorgeous woman _ cackled, thumping  _ her  _ mace triumphantly against the polished tiles, "We're the Alvida pirates! The most gorgeous pirates in the East Blue If any of you lowlives wanna live, you'd better hand over your valuables fast. And…" the figure sniffed- "might as well pocket your food too."

Pirates. Of course it was pirates. Sanji couldn't help but sigh, reaching up to loosen his tie. It was the same everywhere they went huh… He couldn't catch a break!

Strauss nudged at his ribs, "We gonna deal with this?"

Pausing, Sanji glanced around at the rest of the crowd. As expected. They all looked scared and were trying hard to not get into a fight; even the burly fishermen were more focused on protecting their families than trying to deter the invaders. "Might as well." He rolled out his shoulders experimentally, "Try not to get injured this time."

"So you're actually letting me fight this time?"

"Would you listen to me if I told you not to."

"Nope." She cracked her knuckles. "Who's going for the blobfish fishman?"

Growling, Sanji flicked her head, "That's a lady and you will treat her such!"

"Oh she's a lady?! Really?! Huh… my bad."

Of course she didn't use that as an insult. Sanji smiled to himself. The Strauss he knew wasn't like that.

"That settles it then," she muttered as they began to walk forwards towards their opponents, "Can you take on her goons alone?"

"Who the hell do you think I am?"

"Good. I'll handle the woman."

"Oi!" The woman in question snarled, raising an accusatory finger, "I ain't just any old woman, ya brats! KOBY!"

A tiny boy scuttled out from the back of the group, "Y-yes Alvida, ma'am?"

She smirked, "Go on! Tell 'em who I am!"

"W-why of course! Of course of course!"

Poor kid. He looked younger than they were, and terrified out of his wits. Too bad he got in with the wrong sorts.

Eventually he stopped trembling enough to gently grovel before her, "You are Alvida, ma'am...t-t-the, uh, the most beautiful pirate on the seas."

Sanji and Strauss straightened, and stared at each other.

...well that was a blatant lie.

Now Sanji appreciated beauty. He liked to believe that every lady bloomed into a delightful flower, no matter the type or shape. No lady could be ugly. They each were equally gorgeous in their own right, and it was his duty as a gentleman to help them realise their self worth.

That being said, he wasn't blind either. While he applauded this lady's confidence, (since she must have a helluva lot of it), he definitely did not appreciate how she was putting down other women to fuel her own self esteem. This was not a competition. All ladies were beautiful. Even if… said beauty was hard to find.

Also Boa Hancock was  _ HOT _ ! No one, and he meant  _ no one _ , could compare to that bombshell. He was certain that she was the only one worthy enough to be dubbed 'the most beautiful pirate on the seas' or whatever, if something as trivial as that was to be taken into account.

"Goood!" Alvida grinned toothily, "Now back and clean the ship, ya idiot! You're only the caretaker! Why the hell did you even come out in the first place?!"

"Because you told me to-"

"ARE YOU TALKIN' BACK TO ME?!"

"N-No! N-never, Miss Alvida ma'am!"

"THEN GET MOVIN'!"

"Y-yes!"

Sanji let out a sigh of relief as the pink haired boy eagerly hurried back to the pirate ship moored by the docks. He hadn't been looking forward to fighting that kid. He seemed too pathetic to fight.

"This is getting boring," growled Strauss, scratching her ear. "Why is it that pirates always spend too much time boasting about themselves?"

"Fear factor?" Sanji suggested weakly.

"It'd be scarier if I hadn't heard the same speech twenty times already."

"You two don't seem to be that alarmed," Alvida snarled, "considering that you are faced with the deadliest pirates in the East Blue."

Oh god. Sanji exchanged a dry look with Strauss. If he had a beli, a single beli, for every time he'd heard that, he'd be filthy rich by now! Strauss was right. The pirates here were never original. If this was the North Blue, these guys would be at the bottom of the sea already. Heck, they would've never left the harbour!

On the other hand, while both he and Strauss were perfectly calm about the situation, he couldn't help but be aware about the line of shaking people behind them. They weren't as used to pirates as the two of them were. They were just people; people who wanted to have a fun time during their annual festival. The longer this dragged out, the more traumatising it would be for them.

He motioned to Strauss, "Let's wrap this up already."

"Fine by me."

"Well aren't you cocky?!" Raising a hand, Alvida smirked, "BOYS! GETTEM!"

"YES MA'AM!" Her crew roared, rushing forwards towards the two figures. However, they weren't quite divided evenly. For some strange reason unbeknownst to Sanji, the majority of the goons appeared to think that it was a good idea to aim for Strauss first. And… with very suspicious expressions on their faces.

Not if he had anything to do about it!

Sanji tilted onto his hands, rotating faster and faster to unleash a barrage of kicks that knocked the entire wall of grunts out cold. "If you wish to harm my lovely lady friend-" he straightened, slamming a foot into a nearby jaw- "you're gonna have to go through me first!"

Strauss rolled her eyes, "I could've handled them…"

"Oh I am well aware. Just-" he waved a hand- "indulge me for once."

" _ Fine _ ." She sauntered forwards, stepping gingerly over the groaning bodies. "I'll let it slide this once. But only because you need me to fight the boss."

Yeah that was true… No matter how un-ladylike a lady could be, he would never harm a woman.  _ Ever _ . He still felt guilty about attacking Strauss back then, so he would have to double down on his efforts for the future.

He was slightly worried about that club though. Granted it looked slow enough to dodge with ease, but those spikes were nothing to joke about. If Strauss got caught on one of those, it would be bad news. But… he sighed. He would just have to leave that up to her. She trusted him with Alvida's whole crew, he would have to trust her with Alvida herself.

Unsurprisingly, the goons weren't anything special. For a crew without a bounty they weren't that bad, but that wasn't a particularly high bar to pass. They lasted a minute or so longer. That's it. What a waste. He wasn't even sweating.

Strauss on the other hand was having a little bit of trouble. Alvida was more maneuverable than she looked; and while his friend hadn't actually got hit yet, she hadn't exactly done much damage either. It wasn't her fault. It was just… Alvida…  _ absorbed _ her hits surprisingly well.

Judging by the slight grimace on her face, Strauss had realised this too. Sanji debated coming in to help (he may not be able to attack a woman, but he could certainly defend one), but decided against it. Strauss would be absolutely livid if he did that.

But her movements were getting tired. The weariness was clear even from where he was standing. She was trying to hit hard and it wasn't working in the slightest. If this kept up, she be…

_ Before him stood Strauss, swaying dangerously up the stairs with a hand clutching a rapidly growing stain. Eyes barely registering he was there.  _

_ "You'd better fucking catch me." _

No. His fists clenched. He couldn't go through that again. He  _ wouldn't _ . His heart would stop dead if he did.

Thoughts rushed through his head. He could attack Alvida… and break his moral code beyond repair. Although he didn't know if he could face Mom and Reiju if he did that. Or Zeff for that matter.

But he had to incapacitate her somehow. Perhaps there was something he could use… something that wouldn't actually  _ hurt _ her, and would only restrain her from doing anything. What was around… what could be useful. All he could see were the festival equipment and a couple of fishing boats.

Fishing boats with nets!

Aha!

In one fluid movement, he grabbed the nearest net and hurled it towards Alvida. Strauss saw it coming just in time, and swiftly moved aside.

"H-huh?!" Alvida yelped as her limbs got entangled in a mass of rope and weights, "What the-"

Strauss quickly silenced her with a length of rope, twisted into a strange mixture of both restrains and mouth gag.

There was a moment of calm. Almost as if everyone sucked in the same sigh of relief. Until…

"YAHOOOOO!"

Crisis averted. Sanji grinned, tidying his collar as he sauntered towards Strauss, "Nice work! I don't know about you, but I think I needed a bit of light exercise."

"Yeah." Her head remained turned away from him. "Thanks for the save."

Hang on. Sanji deflated a little. Why did she sound so… flat? Was it his fault? But she was struggling; who knew what would've happened if he hadn't stepped in. "Hey..." he reached out to touch her shoulder, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" She snapped, before grimacing and waving it away, "Sorry. I just… I didn't mean to yell like that. I just…"

His hand froze in midair, "Strauss-san?"

She got to her feet. "I'm...fine. Just… need some space is all."

"Can I help-"

"Thanks for the offer... but I think I'd rather be alone right now."

And with that she was gone, weaving through the crowd so fast they didn't even have time to thank her. For a while Sanji stayed where he was. Frozen in place just staring at her back as it disappeared behind the mass of people. He didn't know what to think. Or  _ how _ to think. So many strange and messy questions were muddling together inside his head, twirling so fast around each other that it was impossible to tell one from the other. Or even if they were separate questions to begin with. 

He was just… confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! Didn't mean to post on Christmas Eve, but hey here we are. Sorry for the delay! I've just had a strange couple of weeks recently and decided that I deserved a break. So here's a chapter slightly longer than usual!! (Yeah I don't know what's going on in my head anymore. It makes writing very VERY interesting at times)
> 
> Hope you enjoy, and wherever you are in this messed up world... have a great Christmas. I think we all deserve it. See you all in 2021!!


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